BY  THE    SAME   AUTHOR. 


EMILY   CHESTER.       Tenth  Edition.       i  vol.  I2mo,  $2.00. 
OPPORTUNITY.      Fourth  Edition.      i  vol.  I2mo,  $2.00. 
REGINALD   ARCHER.      i  vol.  i2mo,  $2.00. 


Uniform  editions.      Sold  separately  or  together.      Sent,  POSTPAID,  to 
any  address. 

JAMES   R.   OSCOOD  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

131  Tremont  Street,  Boston. 


REGINALD  ARCHER. 


A    NOVEL. 


BY 


ANNE  M.  CRANE  SEEMULLER, 

AUTHOR  OF   "EMILY  CHESTER"   AND  "OPPORTUNITY.' 


"The  essence  of  greatness  is  the  perception  that  virtue  is  enough." 


BOSTON: 
JAMES    R.    OSGOOD    &    COMPANY, 

LATB  TICKNOR  &  FIELDS,  AND  FIELDS.  OSGOOD,  &  CO. 
1871. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871, 

Bv  JAMES  R.  OSGOOD  &  CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Rnstnn  : 
Stereotyped  mul  Printed  du  Hand,  Avery,  &  Frye. 


THIS   STORY 


IS    AFFECTIONATELY    DEDICATED 


TO     MY    HUSBAND, 


IN  TOKEN  OF  THE  HAPPY  DAYS  IN   WHICH  IT  WAS  WRITTEN. 


REGINALD  ARCHER. 


CHAPTER    I. 

"  This  little  pig  went  to  market; 
This  little  pig  staid  at  borne ; 
This  little  pig  got  a  piece  of  bread  and  butter ; 

This  little  pig  got  none ; 

This  little  pig  cried, '  Wee,  wee,  wee  I  I  can't  get 
over  the  barn-stile  I ' " 

IT  is  no  exception  to   St.  Paul's  usual  wisdom, 
that,  on  becoming  a  man,  he  "  put  away  childish 
things ;  "  for  even  such  slight  anachronisms  as  can  be 
contained  in  threescore  years  and  ten  are  generally 
neither  prudent  nor  profitable. 

But  there  is  another  aspect  of  the  subject,  which 
Christ  glorified  forever  when  he  took  little  children 
in  his  arms  and  blessed  them :  and  it  seems,  at  times, 
that  we  would  do  well  to  take  our  own  childhood  in 
our  arms,  and  let  it  bless  us ;  going  back  to  those 
innocent  early  days  when  we  were  both  good  and 
glad.  It  strikes  one  as  almost  a  necessary  part  of 
Charles  Lamb's  tender  heroism,  that  he  remembered 

7 


8  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

with  such  love  and  pity  the  child  he  had  been ;  and, 
looked  at  in  this  light,  it  would  appear  better  for  us 
not  to  '.'  put  away  childish  things,"  but  to  cherish  our 
spring-time  recollections,  whether  of  tenderness  or 
of  humor. 

Among  the  latter  may  be  placed  "  The  Melodies  of 
Mother  Goose."  Belonging  properly  to*  babyhood, 
the  value  of  these  rhymes  has  so  increased  to  me 
with  increasing  years,  that  it  might  almost  be  said  I 

"  Only  hold  my  treasures  truly 
When  it  seems  as  if  they  passed  away." 

These  little  stories  in  verse  are  so  full  of  meaning, 
that  it  is  a  ceaseless  pleasure  to  study  them  and  their 
applications.  It  was  in  thinking  of  the  remarkable 
power  of  characterization  displayed  in  the  narra- 
tive which  heads  this  chapter,  that  I  was  strongly 
reminded  of  the  family  whose  varied  fortunes  these 
pages  are  to  relate.  The  portrait  of  each  member 
was  so  strikingly  drawn,  that  the  rhymes  seemed  an 
allegory  to  which  the  clew  had  just  been  found. 

In  structure,  the  two  families  did  not  differ.  Each 
consisted  of  five  individuals ;  and,  curiously  enough, 
the  order  in  which  the  pigs  are  enumerated  corre- 
sponded with  the  ages  and  characters  of  the  young 
people.  From  the  account,  one  would  suppose  the 
pig  family  to  be  "after  the  order  of  Melchisedec, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  9 

without  father  or  mother,"  —  at  least,  no  parents  are 
mentioned ;  and  the  Archers  preserved  the  resem- 
blance by  being  orphans.  The  pigs  appeared  to  have 
retained  their  connection  with  each  other,  to  have 
lived  somewhat  in  the  bonds  of  unity,  in  spite  of 
their  varied  characters  and  pursuits.  So  with  the 
Archers.  They  dwelt  as  long  as  possible  under  the 
same  roof,  and  to  the  end  were  held  together  by 
the  strong  ties  of  family  feeling  and  family  pride,  — 
sentiments  which  have  power  to  override  differences 
in  belief,  taste,  and  occupation.  The  most  fitting 
introduction  for  each  member  of  this  household  will 
be  in  connection  with  his  or  her  porcine  representa- 
tive. Let  us  begin  at  the  beginning. 

"  This  little  pig  went  to  market." 

Enter  Tom  Archer,  the  eldest  of  the  family. 

The  merchant  I  take  to  be  like  the  poet,  —  born, 
not  made.  American  life,  in  which  most  boys  are  put 
into  clerkships,  as  into  mills,  to  be  ground  out  a  cer- 
tain product,  would  seem  to  contradict  this  opinion  ; 
but  the  statement,  founded  on  statistics,  that  failure 
comes  surely  to  more  than  three-fourths  of  those 
who  go  into  business,  tends  in  the  other  direction. 
True  mercantile  talent  is  as  distinct,  original,  and 
characteristic  as  musical  genius  or  the  poetic  faculty. 

Shrewd,  clear  insight  into  the  facts  of  a  case ;  an 
i* 


10  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

ability  to  have  an  opinion,  and  to  hold  it ;  above  all, 
an  instinct  as  to  the  probable  result,  —  these  stamp 
a  merchant  of  Nature's  own  making.  The  mercantile 
eye  may  not  range  very  widely ;  but  it  sees  with^ 
amazing  clearness  within  its  own  line  of  vision. 
One  cannot  take  liberties  with  the  multiplication- 
table  with  impunity  ;  and  it  demands  of  its  votaries, 
and,  indeed,  imparts  to  them,  a  degree  of  its  own  ex- 
actitude in  their  habits  of  thought.  The  supply  of 
this  special  talent  seems  never  to  fail.  Within  a  cer- 
tain number  of  men,  some  born  prince  of  the  count- 
ing-room is  sure  to  appear :  in  each  family,  there  is, 
almost  invariably,  a  mercantile  brother,  —  the  little 
pig  who  goes  to  market. 

Tom  Archer  went  thither  at  a  very  early  age,  and 
found  himself  the  right  boy  in  the  right  place.  He 
could  win  all  the  marbles  in  the  school,  and  re-invest 
them  in  the  spare  cakes  and  apples  of  his  compan- 
ions ;  while  he  drove  a  thriving  trade  in  the  barter 
of  pencils  and  jack-knives.  In  those  days,  he  was 
rich  upon  nothing  a  year,  and,  in  time,  accumulated 
a  boyish  fortune  by  bold  speculation  upon  an  original 
capital  of  five  cents.  Even  in  his  childhood,  being  a 
born  trader,  he  found  his  market  everywhere,  and 
went  to  it. 

Growing  up  to  man's  estate,  he  was,  without  being 
handsome,  eminently  pleasant-looking,  though  nei- 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  11 

ther  romantic  nor  imposing  in  manner  or  appearance. 
Small  in  stature,  but  well-knit  and  active  in  frame, 
with  that  physical  energy  which  keeps  a  man  up  to 
the  mark,  and  never  permits  him  to  fall  behindhand 
in  any  thing,  he  was  a  ceaseless  mill-stone,  which 
required  endless  grist.  He  was  one  of  those  beings 
who  have  a  taste  for  hard  work,  and  who  rather 
enjoy  drudgery  as  a  safety-valve  for  their  superfluous 
vigor.  His  eyes  alone  would  have  shown  his  temper- 
ament, apparently  taking  in  at  a  glance-  that  which 
ordinary  optics  would  be  moments  in  perceiving,  — 
very  bright,  cheery  gray  eyes,  that  harmonized  well 
with  the  crisp  wave  in  his  brown  hair.  The  good, 
broad  forehead  told  not  only  of  strong  perceptive 
faculties,  but  also  of  a  width  of  thought  which  does 
not  always  belong  to  such  characters  as  his.  Evi- 
dently good-natured  and  good-humored,  it  was  yet 
impossible  to  doubt  the  presence  of  a  high,  hot  tem- 
per within ;  and,  though  kindly  and  serviceable  to 
those  about  him,  no  one  ever  took  liberties  with  him, 
or  questioned  for  an  instant  that  there  would  be  a 
ready  blow  behind  his  word  where  the  case  required 
it.  Those  in  his  employ  found  him  a  strict,  steady 
master,  demanding  of  them  what  he  required  of  him- 
self, —  a  full  day's  work  in  every  day  ;  but  they  de- 
pended upon  his  justice,  and,  if  the  need  were,  upon 
his  generosity,  with  an  unshakable  faith. 


12  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

In  the  matter  of  his  do  wnright,  ingrained  honesty, 
Tom  Archer  had  greatly  the  advantage  over  a  char- 
acter in  history  which  he  otherwise  strongly  resem- 
bled, —  I  mean  that  patriarchal  prototype  of  traders, 
Jacob.  This  biblical  hero's  mercantile  talent,  and 
his  ability  to  drive  a  bargain,  are  undeniable  ;  in  fact, 
seem  far  more  finely  developed  than  his  moral  sense. 
He  went  to  market  at  every  opportunity,  carrying  with 
him  all  available  goods,  trading  in  every  advantage 
his  position  afforded  him.  His  mother's  love,  and 
lack  of  principle ;  his  brother's  reckless  nature  ;  his 
father's  blindness ;  his  unole's  confidence ;  his  own 
cunning,  and  habit  of  quick  observation  ;  his  industry, 
perseverance,  and  capacity  for  ready  lying,  —  each 
and  all  he  used  as  capital,  drawing  the  highest  divi- 
dends from  his  investments.  So  innate  was  this  spirit 
in  the  man,  that  his  very  prayer  and  vow  to  God  are 
but  a  promise  of  quid  pro  quo  to  the  Almighty.  Per- 
haps in  this  his  petitions  were  scarcely  singular  ;  for 
most  of  us  demand  a  direct  answer  to  our  supplica- 
tions, and  expect  some  specified  equivalent  in  return 
for  our  prayers.  But  it  required  the  moral  courage 
of  that  early  period  to  use  such  plain  words  to  in- 
form the  Lord  in  exact  terms  of  the  amount  of 
food,  clothing,  and  general  assistance,  for  which  his 
allegiance  could  be  obtained,  as  Jacob  did  when  he 
"vowed  a  vow,"  and  "  called  the  name  of  the  place 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  13 

Bethel."  A  man's  religion  is  the  keynote  to  his 
character;  and  I  imagine  few  persons  have  ever 
spoken  out  their  creeds  so  unreservedly  and  truth- 
fully as  did  Jacob  upon  this  occasion. 

And  yet  it  is  of  this  cunning,  unscrupulous,  grasp- 
ing trader,  that  the  purest,  sweetest  love-story  in  the 
world's  history  stands  recorded.  It  is  not  David, 
poet  and  singer  of  Israel,  not  Solomon,  wisest  of 
men,  not  Moses,  prince,  hero,  and  lawgiver,  but  it  is 
Jacob,  who  loved  one  woman,  and  served  for  her 
fourteen  years,  which  "  were  but  as  a  single  day 
for  the  love  that  he  bore  her ; "  whose  tenderness 
and  devotion  increased  down  to  old  age ;  who 
cherished  her  children  after  her  as  he  did  nothing 
else  in  existence ;  and  who,  as  his  own  end  drew  near, 
passed  over  the  events  of  his  life  to  talk  of  Rachel, 
and  her  death  and  burial.  His  love  for  her  seems 
the  one  flower  and  bloom  of  his  nature,  gaining  a 
strange  beauty  and  strength  from  the  very  bareness 
of  the  remainder  of  his  being.  His  faults  were 
many ;  but  recalling  that  rare  example  of  faithful 
devotion,  which  still  lives  fair  and  lovely  in  the  world's 
heart  and  recollection,  verily  women,  at  least,  should 
judge  him  leniently  and  tenderly. 

This  exceptional  nature  was  partially  but  striking- 
ly reproduced  in  Tom  Archer,  the  first  of  my  pigs 
and  of  my  heroes. 


14  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

*  "  This  little  pig  staid  at  home." 

Maria  Archer  might  best  be  described  as  the  do- 
mestic virtues  incarnate.  Even  when  a  pretty  young 
girl,  she  was  evidently  born  to  the  career  of  a  home- 
life,  and  took  to  housekeeping  as  a  duck  takes  to 
water.  Like  heaven,  order  was  her  first  law  ;  and 
she  hunted  down  dust  as  a  deadly  enemy.  Unlike 
t  ordinary  mortals,  the  house-cleaning  period  was  to 
her  a  season  of  pleasure  rather  than  of  pain,  during 
which  she  felt  the  inspiration  of  a  true  vocation. 
Her  administration  over  the  family  purse  and  the 
family  servants  gave  evidences  of  genius  ;  while  the 
quality  of  the  meals  was  to  her  truly  a  crown  of 
glory.  No  matter  how  many  sisters  she  had  possessed, 
to  Maria  every  man  in  the  household  would  have 
turned  instinctively  to  have  a  button  replaced,  to  in- 
quire after  his  clean  collars,  or  to  complain  if  break- 
fast were  delayed.  There  is  always  some  such  person 
in  every  well-constituted  domestic  circle,  —  some  one 
who  gives  the  real  home-element  to  the  fireside  ; 
whom  the  male  members  are  sure  to  love  most,  and 
treat  with  least  respect.  Peculiarly  unselfish  and 
affectionate,  the  small  duties  and  sacrifices  of  every- 
day life  were  her  pleasure ;  for  she  possessed  the 
beautiful  womanly  trait  of  being  happy  just  in  so  far 
as  she  was  needful  to  some  one  else.  A  reticent, 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  15 

timid  woman  under  all  other  circumstances,  beneath 
her  own  roof-tree  she  was  a  power  :  there,  and  there 
only,  she  felt  strong,  capable,  and  confident  in  the 
discharge  of  her  duty.  Unhappy  when  on  the  wrong 
side  of  her  front-door,  she  took  care  that  such  should 
seldom  be  the  case :  in  fact,  this  little  pig  staid  at 
home. 

But  she  paid  a  price  for  so  doing,  which  increased 
as  years  went  on. 

She  looked  so  long,  so  faithfully  and  steadily,  at 
persons  and  things  around  her,  and  at  them  alone, 
that  her  sight  became  microscopic.  What  she  saw 
was  undoubtedly  there  ;  but  she  perceived  it  far  too 
accurately  for  her  own  comfort.  She  could  not  learn 
the  sad  truth  which  is  daily  forced  upon  us,  that 
life  is  at  best  a  compromise,  and  that  we  are  obliged 
to  accept  persons  as  they  are,  and  not  as  we  trusted 
and  hoped  they  might  be.  The  woman's  high,  pure 
conscience  made  her  judge  all  objects  by  an  abso- 
lutely fixed  standard :  she  could  not  receive  the 
measures  and  rules  of  this  world,  and  think  things 
right  because  others  so  held  them.  Such  persons 
are  necessary  to  the  world's  continued  existence ; 
and  even  to  approach  such  a  woman  is  to  let  in  a 
ray  of  heaven's  own  light  upon  our  murky,  earthly 
atmosphere.  Her  view  of  person  or  act  was  always 
that  which  righteous  eyes  are  compelled  to  take  ; 


16  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

but  she  made  the  woman-like  mistake  of  sometimes 
expressing  her  opinion  at  inopportune  moments. 
The  self-control  which  larger  experience  would  have 
given,  the  strength  of  nerve,  and  diversion  of  mind, 
which  excitement  and  pleasure  woulcl  have  supplied, 
she  missed  by  her  form  of  life :  in  fact,  it  was  both 
to  her  sorrow  and  her  joy  that  this  little  pig  staid 
at  home. 

"  This  little  pig  got  a  piece  of  bread  and  butter." 

Two  points  in  this  small  descriptive  biography 
impress  me  as  wonderfully  true  to  life:  first,  that 
he  neither  strove  after  the  object  in  question,  nor 
worked  for  it,  nor  even  paid  for  it,  but  simply 
"  got  "  it ;  second,  that  it  was  "  a  piece  of  bread  and 
butter,"  —  the  material  advantages  of  existence,  the 
satisfactions  of  time  and  sense.  The  line  is  Reginald 
Archer's  memoir  summed  up  in  a  single  sentence. 

If  human  beings  are  merely  animals  of  a  higher 
grade ;  if  to  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  and  to-morrow 
die,  be  the  true  philosophy  of  life,  —  then  Reginald 
was  the  most  successful  person  I  have  ever  known. 
All  that  other  men  painfully  achieve,  he  seemed  to 
have  thrust  upon  him.  Every  advantage  that  can 
be  estimated  by  avoirdupois-weight,  that  can  be  set 
forth  in  figures,  became  his  as  by  natural  right. 
Never  exerting  himself  to  gain  any  thing,  that  which 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  17 

he  desired  drifted  towards  him  as  by  a  species  of 
gravitation.  Nature  appeared  to  have  striven  to 
send  into  the  world,  for  once,  the  perfection  of  ani- 
mal creation,  giving  him  every  thing  but  a  soul. 
He  was  as  beautiful  as  an  antique  statue  ;  and  to 
look  at  him  was  to  feel  that  ancient  Greece  should 
have  been  his  country,  and  his  proper  period  the 
days  of  Aspasia.  He  would  have  well  suited  those 
pleasure-loving  pagans ;  for  pagan  he  was  himself. 
That  magnificent  form  ;  that  absolute  freedom  and 
grace  of  motion ;  that  classic  head  and  face,  with 
the  glittering  bronze-brown  hair  waving  off  from 
the  white  forehead ;  those  violet-blue  eyes,  that 
looked  almost  black  from  the  darkness  of  their 
lashes,  —  to  gaze  at  them  was  to  fancy,  that,  had  he 
indeed  lived  among  those  Greeks,  they  would  have 
mistaken  him  for  a  wandering  Apollo. 
.  Reginald  little  regretted  not  being  born  in  that 
far-off  time  and  place.  His  only  sorrow  on  the  sub- 
ject was,  that  his  advent  had  not  been  delayed 
several  centuries,  when  material  life  shall  have 
attained  greater  smoothness  than  at  present ;  and, 
for  the  same  reason,  his  choice  of  a  birthplace  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  Paris.  But,  true  to  his  phi- 
losophy of  "  taking  the  best  of  now  and  here,"  he 
wasted  little  time  in  idle  lamentings,  and  "  gathered 
honey  all  the  day  from  every  opening  flower,"  even 


18  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

though  it  sprang  from  the  uncongenial  soil  of  the 
United  States  of  America. 

He  had  that  species  of  good  spirits  and  apparent 
good  nature  which  arises  from  wholesome  blood  and 
perfect  digestion ;  but  self-denial  and  self-sacrifice 
were  things  of  which  he  had  been  born  simply  in- 
capable. Amusement,  excitement,  and  the  varied 
forms  of  physical  gratification,  were  essential  to  his 
existence ;  and  he  claimed  them  with  less  regard  for 
the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  others  than  ordinary 
mortals  would  display  for  insects  under  their  feet. 
This  joyous,  debonair  gentleman  was  as  remorseless 
as  a  law  of  Nature.  If  what  he  did  hurt  you, 
"  Ah,  so  much  the  worse  for  you !  "  he  would  think, 
with  the  sweetest  smile  in  his  violet  eyes.  Reginald 
only  respected  those  who  forced  him 'to  do  so,  and 
only  spared  those  who  did  not  spare  him.  He  in- 
jured no  one,  unless  to  gain  some  personal  advan- 
tage ;  disliking  the  sight  of  mental  suffering  as  he 
did  that  of  poverty  or  sickness.  Of  beauty  or  agree- 
ability,  no  one  could  be  a  finer  or  a  fitter  judge  ; 
but  the  moral  aspect  of  a  case,  with  reference  to  his 
own  action,  never  presented  itself  to  his  mind.  In 
this,  as  hi  much  else,  he  was  scarcely  an  Anglo- 
Saxon  ;  for  it  is  an  exceptional  American  or  English- 
man who  can  do  wrong  without  some  slight  after- 
regret,  without  a  consciousness  of  degradation  in  his 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  19 

own  eyes.  I  fancy  it  is  only  Frenchmen  who  can  sin 
with  absolute  serenity.  I  imagine  that  to  the  Gallic 
race  is  reserved  the  blessing  of  being  born  free  from 
sufficient  conscience  to  produce  occasional  discomfort. 

But  Reginald  Archer  was  beyond  his  countrymen, 
and  possessed  this  happy  faculty  to.  perfection.  One 
recognized  its  presence  at  first  sight,  though  disre- 
garding it,  as  one  generally  does  those  curious  fore- 
warnings.  To  be  introduced  to  him  was  to  distrust 
him,  despite  the  charm  of  his  beauty  and  grace  ;  to 
know  him  a  week  or  a  month,  be  you  man,  woman, 
or  child,  was  to  lose  the  very  remembrance  of  such 
a  sensation  in  blind  admiration;  to  know  him  for 
years  was  to  shrink  from  him  with  dread,  as  a  beau- 
tiful monstrosity.  Your  first,  faint  foreknowledge 
that  this  exquisite  animal  was  soulless  and  con- 
scienceless grew  then  to  certainty. 

Still  it  must  be  confessed  that  he  seemed  to  find 
his  loss  a  gain  ;  for  I  have  known  few  persons  who* 
received  so  large  a  piece  of  the  bread  and  butter  of 
life,  or  who  so  literally  "  got "  it  without  toil,  with- 
out money,  and  without  price. 

"  This  little  pig  got  none." 

The  contrast  between  Arnold  Archer  and  his 
brother  Reginald  was  so  strong,  that  it  struck  every 


20  REGINALD   ARCHER, 

one  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  Whatever 
one  was,  the  other  was  not.  In  appearance,  charac- 
ter, and  career,  they  flatly  contradicted  each  other. 
If  one  were  a  type  of  the  lucky  individual,  surely 
the  other  was  the  representative  of  the  unlucky  man. 
A  long,  awkwar$,  homely  person,  never  knowing 
exactly  what  to  do  with  his  hands  and  feet ;  looking 
ten  years  older  than  his  real  age ;  shrinking  from 
observation,  and  yet  possessing  a  curious  facility  for 
being  in  the  way,  —  he  contrasted  like  shadow  with 
his  brother's  sunshine.  Always  meaning  for  the  best, 
and  acting  for  the  worst,  he  certainly  was  a  trial  to 
patience  of  ordinary  proportions.  A  capacity  for 
living  in  dreams,  of  deceiving  himself  as  to  facts,  was 
his  striking  peculiarity,  and  was  at  once  his  bane  and 
his  blessing.  He  never  saw  person  or  object  as  they 
appeared  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  But  I  confess  I  do 
not  feel  justified  in  putting  this  among  his  mis- 
fortunes. Viewing  ourselves  and  our  fellow-beings 
as  we  are  generally  compelled  to  do,  I  doubt  if  any 
change,  any  escape  from  the  truth,  should  not  be  re- 
garded as  an  improvement ;  any  loss  of  insight,  as  a 
blessed  blindness.  Arnold  possessed,  in  reality,  that 
treasure  towards  which  Charles  Lamb  aspired,  when, 
asked  by  Hazlitt  and  Coleridge  which  he  preferred, 
"  Man  as  he  is,  or  man  as  he  is  to  be,"  he  replied, 
"Man  as  he  is  not."  There  are  moments  when  this 


*       REGINALD  ARCHER.  21 

reply  of  the  pleasant  wit  seems  to  me  the  bitterest 
cry  which  can  go  up  from  a  human  heart.  Perhaps 
this  ability  to  see,  and  see  not,  was  the  merciful  com- 
pensation which  Providence  sent  Arnold  Archer  for 
all  that  he  lacked  in  life.  Perhaps  there  are  times 
when  most  of  us  would  exchange  it  for  all  we  pos- 
sess ;  when  we  mourn  over  lost  ignorance  as  bliss  ; 
when,  having  learned  the  value  of  even  a  fool's  para- 
dise, we  close  our  eyes  desperately,  in  the  vain  hope 
of  shutting  out  that  which  we  have  seen  but  too 
clearly.  Held  in  bondage  by  our  own  perceptive 
faculty,  we  grow  to  envy  those  who  are  capable  of 
self-delusion,  who  are  not  compelled  to  see  those 
they  love  just  as  they  are. 

To  Arnold  Archer,  facts  were  by  no  means  the 
stern  tyrants  they  are  to  most  persons.  To  him, 
characters  and  events  were,  so  to  speak,  clay  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter ;  and  he  moulded  them  to  suit 
his  own  fancy,  firmly  believing  in  the  creation  of  his 
imagination. 

"  Arnold's  friends  are  legitimate  objects  of  wor- 
ship," Reginald  would  say  with  his  usual  smiling 
contempt  for  his  brother  ;  "  for  they  are  like  nothing 
in  heaven  above,  nor  in  the  earth  beneath,  nor  hi  the 
waters  under  the  earth.  He  breaks  none  of  the 
commandments  in  bowing  down  before  them." 

Arnold  would  have  done  his  enemies,  had  he  pos- 


22  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

sessed  any,  equal  injustice ;  would  have  regarded 
them  as  fiends,  delighting  in  congenial,  demoniacal 
society,  and  suitable  for  it  alone. 

Practically  weak  as  was  this  character,  it  was  essen- 
tially poetic.  To  him,  all  Nature  was  a  delight,  and 
fed  a  divine  inner  thirst ;  to  him,  all  beauty,  whether 
of  person,  thought,  or  act,  made  life  lovely.  He  had 
that  apprehension  of  purity  and  nobleness  which 
gives  the  soul  the  freedom  of  heaven  here  and  here- 
after. Dim-sighted  as  regards  this  world,  he  had 
that  higher  vision  which  sees  far  above  and  beyond 
it;  perceiving  even  here  the  reflected  glory  of  the 
world  to  come. 

Arnold  had  been  educated  as  a  physician,  and  was 
devoted  to  the  study  of  his  profession,  although  he 
was  totally  unfit  for  its  practice.  Punctuality  was  to 
him  an  impossible  virtue ;  and  he  lacked  in  an  equal 
degree  that  capacity  for  energetic,  steady  work,  which 
is  essential  to  success  in  any  pursuit.  He  chiefly 
exercised  his  skill  upon  a  collection  of  invalided 
animals,  for  which  he  built  a  species  of  hospital  in 
the  back  yard,  where  he  would  take  infinite  pains 
in  curing  some  sick  kitten  or  lame  dog,  to  grieve 
over  their  base  desertion  of  him  as  soon  as  they  were 
well.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  naturalist ;  and  his 
greatest  delight  was  to  spend  day  after  day  in  the 
woods,  from  which  he  returned  laden  with  ferns, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  23 

leaves,  and  not  agreeable  insects :  this,  of  course,  to 
his  sister  Maria's  unspeakable  disgust.  She  was  very 
fond  of  him,  and  extremely  patient  with  him  upon 
every  other  subject ;  but  upon  the  question  of  his 
leaving  his  treasures  in  every  portion  of  the  house, 
however  inappropriate,  she  waged  a  warfare  which 
knew  no  truce. 

"Arnold,  I  cannot  have  horrible  bugs  crawling 
about  my  parlor  and  dining-room,"  she  would  sol- 
emnly protest.  "  Why,  they  will  be  walking  into  the 
very  teacups  soon  !  I  can  not  and  I  will  not  allow 
it."  And  there  really  seemed  some  justice  in  her 
objection. 

Undoubtedly  he  was  an  exasperating  person  with 
whom  to  live  under  the  same  roof.  His  idea  of  the 
dinner-hour  worked  upon  a  sliding  scale,  according 
to  his  appetite  or  occupation.  China  and  glass  ware 
slipped  through  his  fingers  as  though  to  escape  his 
awkward  handling ;  and  to  watch  his  sister  Maria, 
as  she  saw  him  wander  aimlessly  among  the  fine, 
fragile  ornaments  and  objects  in  the  drawing-room, 
placing  and  replacing  them  without  apparent  purpose, 
was  to  feel  a  sincere  respect  for  the  self-control  which 
enabled  her  to  restrain  her  impulse  to  take  them 
away  from  him,  and  set  him  in  the  corner  as  a  trouble- 
some child. 

Reginald's  contempt  for  his  brother  was  so  pro- 


24  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

found,  that  it  seldom  reached  speech ;  but  he  evi- 
dently regarded  him  with  the  dread  one  feels  of  a 
raw  Irish  servant  permanently  attached  to  the  house. 
The  two  had  no  comprehension  of  each  other,  and 
kept  apart  as  far  as  possible.  But  it  was  only  another 
evidence  of  the  strength  and  generosity  of  Tom's 
nature  that  Arnold  was  his  favorite  brother,  whom 
he  protected  like  a  child.  The  elder  man's  natural 
impatience  and  quickness  of  temper  disappeared  when 
his  brother  became  their  proper  object :  he  held  his 
protege  responsible  for  nothing.  Arnold's  practical 
thinking  and  acting  Tom  took  upon  himself,  and,  in 
case  of  shortcoming,  felt  that  the  blame  rested  on  him 
for  not  having  foreseen  the  probability,  and  provided 
against  it. 

"  Tom,  you  treat  Arnold  as  though  he  were  a  sort 
of  divine  idiot,"  was  Reginald's  characteristic  criti- 
cism. "I  wish  you  would  take  me  in  hand,  and 
provide  for  me  in  the  same  way.  It  would  save  me 
a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  boy,"  was  Tom's  cool  re- 
joinder, though  his  quick,  bright  eyes  darkened  as  he 
spoke ;  "  but  I  think  you  are  pretty  well  able  to  take 
care  of  yourself :  at  least,  it  won't  be  the  divine  ele- 
ment in  your  nature  which  will  prevent  you  from 
doing  so.  Let  Arnold  alone :  you  have  no  more  com- 
prehension of  him  than  you  have  of  Sanscrit.  But  I 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  25 

wish,  with  all  my  heart,  that  either  you  or  I  were  as 
good  a  man." 

"  Thank  you  back  again,"  Reginald  replied  laugh- 
ingly, with  unruffled  mood ;  "  but  I  should  wish  my 
share  of  the  desired  good  to  be  taken  in  common 
sense,  if  it  would  be  the  same  to  all  parties."  And 
the  discussion  ended  at  this  point,  as  it  always 
did. 

Finding  that  Arnold  would  never  succeed  in  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  thus  gain  a  livelihood,  Tom 
had  taken  him  into  his  counting-room,  hoping  by 
patience  and  drill  to  fit  him  for  the  duties  of  a  clerk. 
But  he  had  signally  failed.  What  his  acute  mercan- 
tile mind  underwent  during  the  attempt,  no  one  but 
himself  knew.  Misdirected  letters,  important  mes- 
sages forgotten,  bank-business  deranged,  engagements 
unfulfilled,  —  all  these  accumulated,  until  the  wonder 
was  that  insanity  did  not  ensue  in  the  head  of  the 
house.  Tom  grew  nervous  if  the  smallest  duty  were 
left  to  Arnold's  care,  and  gradually  diminished  his 
occupations  until  his  place  was  a  sinecure.  To  keep 
Arnold  out  of  the  office,  and  to  give  him  as  little  as 
possible  to  do  when  there,  became  the  tacit  under- 
standing between  the  chief  of  the  establishment  and 
his  clerks.  Nothing  pleased  all  parties  better  than 
for  Arnold  to  go  off  on  long  fishing  and  naturalizing 
expeditions ;  as,  let  the  press  of  business  be  what  it 


26  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

might,  it  was  easier  to  do  his  work  than  to  take  the 
chance  of  his  mistakes,  or  to  rectify  them. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  can  spare  me?  "  he  would  ask, 
having  his  own  ideas  of  making  an  honest  return  for 
the  salary  he  received ;  and  indeed,  if  his  unsuccess- 
ful pains  and  trouble  were  calculated,  he  gave  a  just 
equivalent. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  fellow.  Go  and  enjoy  your- 
self as  much  as  possible,  and  then  come  home  and  tell 
me  all  about  it."  And  the  elder  brother  would  go 
cheerily  back  to  his  counting-room,  and  put  his  shoul- 
der to  the  wheel  with  renewed  vigor.  Thus  he 
supported  Arnold,  without  undermining  his  upright- 
ness, or  allowing  him  to  feel  his  dependence. 

With  nothing  which  most  men  hold  as  valuable, 
Arnold  Archer  was  the  happiest  member  of  this  fam- 
,  ily ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  write  him  down  as  the  most 
enviable  little  pig  in  my  collection. 

"  This  little  pig  cried,  '  Wee,  wee,  wee  1 1  can't  get  over 
the  barn-stile ! '  " 

Reviewing  the  careers  life  opens,  the  conclusion  is 
at  all  times  inevitable,  that  there  are  few  better 
methods  of  providing  for  one's  self  than  that  of  join- 
ing what  might  be  called  "  the  grand  army  of  the  in- 
competents." It  may  be  true  that  God  helps  those 
who  help  themselves  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  the  world 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  27 

proceeds  upon  the  opposite  principle.  Those  fortu- 
nate individuals  who  can  coolly  and  consistently  act 
upon  the  theory  that  their  fellow-beings  owe  them  a 
living,  certainly  have  strong  grounds  for  the  policy  of 
their  course.  Considered  mathematically,  the  case 
seems  clear.  If  you  work  for  yourself,  you  simply 
have  the  support  of  one  person ;  whereas,  if  you  em- 
phasize with  sufficient  persistence  your  inability  to 
assist  yourself,  your  relations,  friends,  and  even  chance 
acquaintance,  will  gradually  assume  that  responsibil- 
ity, and  you  enlist  an  indefinite  number  of  individuals 
into  your  service.  The  majority  of  men  and  women 
lack  the  nerve  to  allow  a  fellow-being  to  suffer  the 
consequences  of  his  own  actions,  or  want  of  action  ; 
and  the  amount  of  sustenance  is  amazing  which  can  be 
extracted  from  the  most  unwilling  support  by  the  sim- 
ple process  of  leaning  upon  it,  and  refusing  to  move. » 
In  the  mind  of  the  person  burdened,  the  first  emotion 
is  apt  to  be  extreme  irritation ;  but  almost  any  one 
will  succumb  under  steady,  unremitting  pressure. 
A  quiet  despair  settles  upon  the  most  recalcitrant, 
when  it  is  found  that  there  are  natures  analogous  to 
India-rubber,  which  recover  instantly  from  any  blow, 
leaving  you  exhausted  from  your  exertion  in  dealing 
it.  A  certain  flabbiness  will  defy  the  most  vigorous 
effort  to  make  it  self-sustaining.  If  a  person  will  not 
stand  on  his  feet,  to  persist  in  holding  him  up  is  too 


28  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

expensive  a  process :  it  is  cheaper,  in  time,  strength, 
money,  and  temper,  to  make  up  one's  mind  to  let  him 
rest  comfortably,  and  feed  him  as  he  lies.  In  fact,  a 
certain  incompetency  may  be  regarded  as  better  than 
a  certain  competency,  and,  conjoined  to  what  might 
be  called  an  infinite  receptivity,  is  one  of  the  finest 
investments  in  life. 

The  most  curious  circumstance  of  the  case  is,  that 
such  persons  are  almost  always  popular.  It  is  true 
that  we  are  apt  to  like  those  whom  we  serve  better 
than  those  who  serve  us;  and  we  become  attached 
to  individuals  who  are  constantly  claiming  our  aid 
and  attention.  They  appeal  at  once  to  our  higher 
and  lower  natures  in  calling  upon  our  generosity  and 
in  soothing  our  vanity. 

Of  all  persons  I  have  known,  Ellen  Archer,  in 
•  her  small  way,  turned  her  helplessness  to  greatest 
account ;  her  inability  serving  her  more  than  ability 
avails  others.  Unequal  to  any  fixed  plan,  she 
merely  followed  her  instinct.  But  her  success  was 
like  that  of  genius:  in  fact,  she  might  be  said  to  have 
a  striking  capacity  for  incapacity.  A  pretty,  fair 
little  woman,  evidently  not  very  strong  in  mind  or 
body,  even  indifferent  strangers  naturally  put  out 
their  hands  to  help  her ;  while,  as  the  youngest  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  her  brothers  and  sister  treated  her 
as  a  child  all  her  life.  Had  Ellen  and  Maria  lived 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  29 

together  for  si^ty  years,  the  elder  would  have  gone 
on  darning  her  sister's  stockings,  and  otherwise  at- 
tending to  her  wardrobe,  during  the  entire  period. 

Upon  Maria  fell  the  whole  burden  of  the  house- 
keeping, the  ceaseless  worry  of  meals  and  domestics : 
she  had  to  be  up  betimes,  and  regulate  all  her  move- 
ments by  the  family  convenience.  On  the  other 
hand,  Ellen  would  descend  when  she  pleased,  to 
murmur  if  the  order  of  the  breakfast-table  were  not 
perfect,  and  to  be  mildly  reproachful  to  Maria  for  the 
coldness  of  the  coffee. 

Then  would  follow  the  little  scene  which  occurred 
periodically  in  that  household. 

"  Why  don't  you  come  down  in  time  if  you  want 
things  in  proper  condition?"  Maria  would  say,  irri- 
tated by  the  injustice  of  the  situation.  "  It  is  the 
least  you  can  do ;  for  }rou  never  help  me  in  any  thing. 
Why  can't  you  take  half  the  housekeeping  off  my 
hands  ?  It  is  as  much  your  duty  as  it  is  mine ;  and  I 
can't  see  why  you  don't  do  it." 

"  Oh,  for  Heaven's  sake,  don't  let  Ellen  have  any 
thing  to  do  with  the  housekeeping !  "  Tom  would 
exclaim,  laying  down  his  newspaper  in  the  energy  of 
his  horror  at  the  thought.  "  I  should  never  get  my 
breakfast  in  time,  nor  have  any  thing  fit  to  eat/'  — 
using  the  strongest  argument  with  Maria,  with  whom 
Tom's  comfort  was  a  sacre,d  thing.  "  Besides,  she 


30  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

» 

isn't  strong  enough  for  it ;  "  which  was  not  at  all  the 
case. 

"  I  am  very  fond  of  my  home,"  Reginald  would 
smoothly  remark,  saying  that  which  was  true  only  so 
far  as  his  home  afforded  him  a  place  where  he  could 
do  as  he  pleased,  and  have  every  thing  he  wished, 
without  paying  fo£  it ;  "  but  I  cannot  consent  to  sac- 
rifice my  digestion  upon  the  altar  of  family  feeling. 
If  Ellen  is  to  keep  this  house,  my  only  resource  is  a 
restaurant  or  a  hotel." 

"  Maria,  how  can  you  suggest  such  a  thing,  when 
you  know  how  delicate  Ellen  is,  and  how  unequal 
she  would  be  to  the  exertion  ?  "  even  Arnold  would 
join  in. 

Meantime,  Ellen,  not  even  put  to  the  trouble  of 
arguing  her  case,  would  sit  like  a  pretty  little  martyr, 
who,  when  she  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again,  and, 
when  the  subject  dropped,  would  enjoy  a  full  meal 
of  every  thing  that  was  best  upon  the  table.  There, 
after  some  faint  further  protest  from  Maria,  the  mat- 
ter would  rest ;  and  there,  indeed,  she  wished  it  to 
remain.  The  housekeeping  was  her  pride  and  occu- 
pation ;  and  it  would  have  broken  her  heart  to  surren- 
der it  to  other  hands,  though  she  did  not  wish  it 
made  difficult  by  irregularity  in  the  household.  But 
her  grumble  was  to  her,  as  to  most  of  us,  a  precious 
privilege :  it  worked  off  the  nervousness  which 


REQINALD   ARCHER.  31 

comes  from  strain  upon  body  or  temper,  and  left 
her  cool  and  comfortable.  Perhaps  she  availed  her- 
self of  the  relief  too  often  with  regard  to  evils  which 
experience  might  have  taught  her  were  too  radical 
for  her  to  remedy. 

As  far .  as  Ellen  was  concerned,  her  sister  had  no 
real  wish  to  put  any  additional  duty  upon  her ;  for 
she  fully  participated  in  the  family  bondage  towards 
that  young  person.  But,  when  Maria  was  exasperat- 
ed, she  had  a  fashion  of  speaking  out  unwelcome 
truths,  which  she  perceived  at  all  times,  but  which 
her  amiability  generally  held  in  abeyance,  and  always 
prevented  her  from  acting  upon.  Ellen  and  Reginald 
kept  her  permanently  provided  with  such  material, 
though  she  judged  and  sentenced  her  brother  for  far 
darker  deeds  than  those  peccadilloes,  those  sins  of 
omission,  for  which  she  blamed  the  poor  little  pig, 
who,  by  nature,  could  "  not  get  over  the  barn-stile." 


CHAPTER    II. 

IN  which  of  the  great  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast 
the  Archers  resided,  it  is  not  necessary  to  state  ; 
but  it  was  one  of  the  centres  of  American  civilization 
in  which  the  national  character  is  fully  exhibited.  "" 

For  several  generations,  the  family  had  possessed 
cultivation,  position,  and  at  least  moderate  wealth ; 
and  it  still  maintained  that  status.  The  surroundings 
of  these  young  people  had  been  those  which  environ 
most  young  Americans  of  good  connection  :  they  had 
been  born  into  that  comfortable,  unromantic  form  of 
existence  which  is  too  familiar  to  need  description. 
The  surface  of  our  democratic  society  is  somewhat 
level  for  purposes  of  literature,  though  beneath  it 
we  may  find  fresher  blood  and  deeper  passions  than 
elsewhere.  The  Archers  began  life  under  the  ordi- 
nary auspices.  As  children,  they  inhabited  a  hand- 
some house  in  a  fashionable  neighborhood,  were  sent 
to  the  finest  schools,  spent  money  freely,  and  had  not 
a  want  ungratified,  scarcely  a  wish  restrained.  Then 
and  always,  they  were  part  of  the  best  society  in 

32 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  33 

their  city ;  and  to  be  first-class  in  one's  own  place  is 
the  practical  limit  of  aristocracy,  enabling,  as  it  does, 
the  American  merchant  to  meet  princes  royal  upon 
grounds  of  equality.  In  their  veins  ran  both  Cavalier 
and  Puritan  blood ;  and  it  was  curious  to  watch  the 
predominance  of  either  race  in  each  individual.  The 
old  problem  of  mental  and  moral  inheritance  ap- 
peared in  this  as  in  all  cases,  leaving  it  unsolved 
now  and  always. 

Within  these  commonplace  outward  limits  occurred 
the  passionate  emotions  and  tragic  events  of  the  story 
I  am  about  to  tell ;  within  these  bounds  human  nature 
found  exercise  for  its  highest  and  lowest  instincts. 

The  mother  of  this  family  had  died  when  most  of 
her  children  were  at  school ;  and  the  father  had  soon 
followed  her.  Just  before  his  decease,  Mr.  Archer 
had  taken  Tom  into  partnership;  and,  upon  the 
parent's  death,  the  business  and  the  support  of  the 
family  had  naturally  fallen  to  the  son.  Thus  Tom 
began  life  with  expenses  which  almost  consumed  an 
income  that  must  have  rendered  him  very  wealthy 
in  a  few  years,  had  it  been  allowed  to  accumulate. 
Each  child  had  inherited  a  sum  sufficient  for  educa- 
tional purposes,  and  a  small  annual  income.  For 
further  dependence,  the  men  had  their  professions ; 
and  Tom  was  only  too  glad  to  provide  a  home  for  his 

sisters. 

2* 


34  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

But  Arnold's  doctoring  turned  out  a  failure,  and 
Reginald's  law  a  farce ;  and  then  Tom  found  that 
the  penalty  of  being  able  to  do  a  thing  is  being 
allowed  to  do  it.  As  he  could  afford  to  sustain 
the  family,  it  became  tacitly  settled  that  he  should 
bear  the  expenses  of  an  establishment  of  which  his 
brothers  and  sisters  shared  the  full  benefits.  Tom 
considered  this  perfectly  just,  except,  perhaps,  in 
the  case  of  Reginald.  Some  faint  doubts  occasion- 
ally arose  in  his  mind  as  to  the  propriety  of  the 
strong,  splendid  gentleman  deliberately  living  upon 
him ;  but,  being  as  hospitable  as  an  Arab  or  a  Vir- 
ginian, he  would  not  have  refused  daily  bread  to  a 
stranger,  much  less  to  one  of  his  own  blood. 

But  that  which  did  exasperate  him,  and  which  he 
constantly  resisted,  was  Reginald's  cool  way  of  levy- 
ing contributions  upon  him  in  order  to  purchase 
luxuries  which  Tom  would  have  considered  entirely 
beyond  his  own  purse.  Reginald  could  always  afford 
any  thing,  and  scorned  to  regard  the  matter  of  price, 
though  his  brother  was  often  compelled  to  do  so. 
Yet  such  was  Tom's  family  feeling,  that  he  could 
not  bring  himself  positively  to  deny  the  claims  his 
brother  made  upon  him.  He  knew  that  Reginald 
would  manage,  in  some  way,  to  extract  a  certain 
sum  of  money  from  him  in  a  given  time ;  and  he 
made  mental  allowance  for  it,  as  he  did  for  taxes 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  35 

and  household  wants,  in  his  estimate  of  the  year's 
expenses.  But  he  tried  to  keep  it  within  definite 
limits  by  a  contest  over  each  demand. 

•  These  small  battles  always  occurred  in  Tom's 
private  counting-room;  where,  indeed,  most  of  his 
confidential  talks  with  his  brother  took  place. 

After  his  late  breakfast,  Reginald  would  array 
himself  in  gorgeous  apparel,  and  take  his  morning 
walk  down  town ;  generally  making  Tom's  counting- 
room  his  resting-place  and  turning-point.  Here  he 
would  lounge  for  a  while,  smoking  his  brother's  best 
cigars,  reading  his  newspapers,  occupying,  his  easiest 
arm-chair,  and,  if  the  other  were  at  leisure,  talking 
to  him  by  the  hour  of  any  thing  which  interest- 
ed them  both.  Reginald  liked  nothing  better  than 
to  chat  with  Tom ;  chiefly  because  they  invariably 
differed,  and  because  his  elder  brother  always  had 
a  strong  opinion  of  him  and  his  sentiments,  and  used 
scant  ceremony  in  expressing  it.  Overfed  with 
flattery,  and  sick  of  too  ready  submission,  he  relished 
the  conversation  of  a  man  who  mentally  defied  him, 
just  as  he  enjoyed  the  pursuit  of  a  woman  who 
resisted  him.  Calmly  confident  of  ultimate  victory 
over  both,  he  thanked  both  for  the  momentary  stimu- 
lus and  spice  they  added  to  his  existence. 

Coming  in  from  the  fresh  morning  air,  radiant  in 
appearance,  and  faultless  in  dress,  he  would  stand 


36  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

with  his  back  to  the  fire,  and  freely  criticise  all  that 
was  before  him  ;  often  throwing  down  the  gauntlet  for 
the  amusement  of  seeing  how  Tom  would  take  it  up. 

"  Good  heavens,  Tom  !  how  can  you  wear  such  a 
coat '? "  he  one  day  exclaimed  as  he  scrutinized  his 
brother,  and  discovered  that  the  garment  in  question 
was  of  the  style  of  the  past  season.  "  Why  don't 
)sou  buy  yourself  some  new  clothes  ?  " 

"  Because  I  have  to  pay  for  yours,"  was  on  the 
tip  of  Tom's  tongue  as  he  glanced  quickly  up  from 
the  letter  he  was  writing. 

Tom  Archer  was  a  gentleman,  and  could  not  cast 
past  favors  in  a  man's  face ;  but  he  looked  at  his 
brother  for  a  full  moment,  sorely  tempted  to  let  him 
hear  the  truth.  Kept  comparatively  poor  by  his 
bounty  to  this  very  man,  that  the  other  should  assume 
a  magnificent  disdain,  founded  upon  advantages  pur- 
chased with  his  money,  seemed  beyond  endurance. 
Tom  had  to  cool  slightly  before  he  could  trust  him- 
self to  reply. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  said  at  last,  speaking  very 
deliberately,  "  in  the  matter  of  spending  money,  you 
have  me  at  an  extreme  disadvantage.  You  see,  I 
indulge  in  that  most  expensive  of  all  luxuries,  —  I 
pay  my  debts.  If  a  man  can  only  make  up  his  mind 
to  dispense  with  this  extravagance,  there  is  scarcely 
any  other  he  may  not  enjoy,  he  has  so  much  spare 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  37 

change,  so  much  spending-money  left  free.  But, 
being  hampered  by  such  weakness,  you  must  not 
expect  me  to  compete  with  those  fortunate  beings 
who  are  entirely  free  from  it.  Strangely  as  the  word 
may  strike  you,  I  have  sometimes  to  economize." 

"  Ah,  indeed  !  —  I  am  sorry  to  hear  it,"  Reginald 
returned,  with  delightful  superiority  to  any  exhibi- 
tion of  emotion  or  temper  on  the  part  of  his  brother. 
"  But  to  come  back  to  the  matter  in  question.  When 
you  do  get  a  coat,  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  choose  it 
for  you ;  for  you  know  you  have  very  little  idea  of 
what  is  becoming,  and  still  less  of  what  is  fashionable. 
Good-morning  ! "  And  he  bowed  himself  out  with  a 
grace  and  good  humor  wonderful  to  behold. 

He  wisely  concluded  that  this  was  scarcely  an  ap- 
propriate time  to  ask  for  a  loan,  —  Reginald  always 
called  them  loans,  as  sounding  better,  —  as  he  had 
intended  doing ;  but,  his  needs  —  otherwise  his  tailor 
—  being  quite  pressing,  he  came  back  to  the  charge 
on  the  following  day. 

Tom's  mercantile  instinct,  and  habit  of  reading 
men's  faces,  usually  warned  him  when  Reginald  meant 
money ;  and  he  took  a  grim  pleasure  in  watching  the 
variety  of  ways  in  which  his  brother  would  lead  up 
to  the  subject,  in  wondering  how  he  would  return  to 
the  attack  each  time  he  fell  back  defeated  before 
Tom's  entire  want  of  comprehension. 


38  .  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  By  heavens !  if  he  wants  my  money,  he  shall  ask 
for  it  openly,"  Tom  thought,  between  amusement 
and  irritation.  "  He  sha'n't  think  I  am  walking  into 
his  traps  blindfolded  by  his  flattery.  If  I  must  be 
squeezed  like  an  orange,  he  shall  not  imagine  I  am 
such  a  fool  as  not  to  know  it." 

But  Reginald  was  an  experienced  tactician,  and 
understood  his  man  perfectly.  Letting  his  real  pur- 
pose rest  for  the  moment,  he  began  the  discussion  of 
some  subject  upon  which  he  and  Tom  differed  totally. 
Dexterously  exciting  his  brother,  he  forced  him  into 
expressions  which  were  as  truthful  as  they  were 
bitter,  but  which  he  knew  the  other  would  regret 
after  he  had  used  them.  Then,  when  Tom  was  a 
little  exhausted  by  his  own  energy,  and  a  little  re- 
morseful for  his  hard  words,  Reginald  said  casually, 
as  though  it  had  just  occurred  to  him,  — 

"  By  the  way,  Tom,  if  you  can  spare  a  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  I  wish  you  would  lend  it  to  me." 

"  I  haven't  much  money  to  spare,  Reginald,"  the 
other  replied,  drawing  his  breath  rather  wearily ;  "but 
I  will  see  what  I  can  do."  And  he  turned  towards 
his  check-book  as  he  spoke. 

An  odd  smile  came  into  Reginald's  eyes  as  he  saw 
how  accurately  he  had  calculated  the  instinctive  gen- 
erosity of  Tom's  nature,  which  made  him  never  so 
willing  to  oblige  any  one  as  when  he  imagined  he 
had  been  harsh  towards  him. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  .  39 

"  What  do  you  want  the  money  for  ?  "  the  elder 
man  demanded,  beginning  a  regular  formula. 

"To  pay  my  tailor,"  returned  the  other  promptly, 
well  prepared  for  the  catechism  he  was  undergoing. 

"  Let  me  see  the  bill,"  Tom  went  on ;  and  the  other 
quickly  produced  the  document. 

"  Well,  I  will  give  you  a  check,  payable  to  the 
man's  order."  And  the  younger  brother  soon  had 
the  paper  in  his  pocket. 

"  Tom,"  broke  out  Reginald,  with  apparent  entire 
irrelevance,  after  he  had  been  lounging  about  the 
office,  talking  upon  general  subjects,  for  half^an  hour, 
but  always  with  the  same  odd  smile  half  glimmering 
in  his  face,  "  doesn't  the  Bible  say  something  about 
the  children  of  this  world  being  wiser  in  their  genera- 
tion than  the  children  of  light  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Tom  answered  slowly,  reading  his  broth- 
er's meaning  far  more  clearly  in  his  face  than  the 
other  imagined:  "that  is  the  commendation  given  to 
the  unjust  steward ;  but  I  don't  think  I  should  care 
to  be  an  unjust  steward,  —  a  lying,  thieving  scoun- 
drel, —  even  at  that  price." 

"Perhaps  not.  But  there  is  a  good  deal  of  truth 
in  the  remark ;  and,  upon  the  whole,  I  strongly  agree 
with  the  biblical  verdict,"  Reginald  replied. 

"  I  don't,"  said  Tom  ;  "  at  least,  I  haven't  thus  far 
in  life.  But  you  must  work  out  the  problem  before 


40  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

you  can  give  the  exact  answer ;  and,  when  I  have 
come  to  the  end  of  my  experience,  I  will  let  you 
know  the  result." 

"  And  I'll  do  the  same  for  you.  When  I  have 
lived  out  my  life,  I  will  give  you  my  testimony.  But 
I  don't  think  I  shall  change  my  opinion,"  Reginald 
added  carelessly,  as  he  gayly  nodded,  and  went  his 
way. 

He  little  imagined  the  manner  in  which  he  would 
fulfil  that  promise ;  he  little  dreamed  of  the  exacti- 
tude with  which  he  would  keep  that  pledge.  To 
both  mgn  the  very  sun  would  have  lost  its  light 
could  they  have  foreseen  the  hour  when  those  words 
would  again  be  spoken  between  them. 

For  his  close  and  invariable  inquiry  as  to  the 
application  of  his  money,  Tom  had  his  own  reasons, 
well  understood  on  both  sides.  There  were  portions 
of  Reginald's  life,  the  mere  thought  of  which  raised 
Tom's  righteous  wrath  and  loathing  disgust ;  rather 
than  be  made  a  party  to  which,  he  would  have  seen 
every  cent  he  possessed  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
In  the  early  days,  he  had  begun  by  sternly  refusing 
to  aid  Reginald  while  he  led  such  a  life,  hoping  to 
keep  him  in  order  by  keeping  him  poor.  But  he 
found  his  brother  merely  spent  his  own  means  on  his 
luxuries,  open  and  secret,  and  went  in  to  debt  for  his 
necessities.  Then  came  duns  and  disgraceful  scenes 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  41 

from  creditors,  until  Tom  was  whipped  into  paying 
what  the  other  owed,  merely  to  save  the  honor  of 
the  name  and  the  family. 

From  that  time  he  made  up  his  mind  to  face  the 
hard  fact,  that  Reginald's  existence  was  beyond  his 
power  of  purification ;  but  he  resolyed  to  know  the 
exact  use  of  his  money,  and  to  keep  his  hands  clean 
from  even  indirect  participation  in  sin. 

Reginald's  one  aim  in  life  had  been  personal,  phys- 
ical gratification :  he  had  not  an  aspiration  which 
really  deserved  to  rank  higher  than  a  desire  for  a 
good  dinner.  Even  his  love  of  art  and  elegance  was 
a  purely  animal  instinct ;  was  literally  "  the  lust  of 
the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life."  He  had  begun  his 
social  career  by  an  intrigue  with  a  great  leader  of 
fashion,  a  woman  ten  years  his  senior,  whose  some- 
what over-ripe  charms,  and  long  experience  in  their 
dexterous  use,  still  enabled  her  to  attract  most  men, 
and  to  gratify  her  omnivorous  appetite  for  admiration. 
Like  himself,  at  once  emotionless  and  passionate,  of 
cold  heart  and  hot  blood,  each  afforded  all  that  the 
other  craved,  without  troublesome  sentiment  to  mar 
or  disturb  their  enjoyment.  Strong  in  her  social 
position,  and  shielded  behind  the  fact  that  she  had 
never  come  to  open  disgrace,  though  with  scarcely  a 
reputation  to  lose,  she  was  the  person  of  all  his  set 
whom  Reginald's  keen  perception  selected  for  his 


42  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

pleasure  and  his  profit.  As  no  real  feeling  had 
entered  into  their  connection,  its  dissolution  pro- 
duced neither  pain  nor  anger;  and  though  soon 
tiring  of  each  other,  and  passing  on  to  further  con- 
quests, they  always  remained  goad-humored  acquaint- 
ances, willingly  giving  each  other  a  helping  hand  on 
occasion.  Both  natures  were  too  bare  of  either  con- 
science or  fine  feeling  to  experience  shame  or  sorrow. 
As  neither  knew  elevation,  neither  could  be  conscious 
of  degradation :  they  shared  the  comfort  and  ease  of 
other  animals  in  partaking  of  'their  lack  of  any  diviner 
part  which  would  have  rendered  them  capable  of 
suffering  for  sin. 

As  Reginald  began,  so  he  went  on.  Without  reg- 
ular occupation,  l\e  sought  in  society  his  employment 
and  his  play.  But  when  Dr.  Watts  gave  utterance 
to  that  immortal  sentence,  that  "  Satan  finds  some 
mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to  do,"  he  announced  a 
fixed  law,  from  which  there  is  no  deviation.  It  truly 
seems  that  men  must  choose  between  work  and  wick- 
edness; and  this  man  chose  the  latter  alternative. 
Every  woman  was  to  him  simply  an  object  which 
could  afford  him  more  or  less  gratification ;  and  to 
secure  as  large  a  degree  as  possible  of  such  pleasure 
was  the  occupation  of  his  time  and  thoughts. 

" '  Insatiate  Archer  !  would  not  one  suffice  ?  '  " 
exclaimed  one  of  his  companions,  using  Young's 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  43 

words,  half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest,  when  some 
action  of  Reginald's  slightly  shocked  even  him. 

"  No,"  returned  the  other  quite  frankly ;  "  not  if 
she  were  the  Graces  and  the  Muses  combined  in  one 
person.  No  human  being  is  worth  loving  beyond  a 
certain  length  of  time  ;  and  to  me  one  pretty  woman 
is  as  good  as  another,  if  she  has  taste  enough  to  like 
me.  On  the  other  hand,  I  am  of  the  opinion  of  the 
lover  in  the  old  song,  '  If  she  be  not  fair  to  me, 
what  care  I  how  fair  she  be  ?  '  I  know  what  stuff 
women  are  made  of.  I  give  thanks  for  what  I  get ; 
but  I  am  not  fool  enough  to  suppose  that  I  have  not 
had  predecessors,  and  will  not  have  successors.  I 
know  perfectly  well  that  what  a  woman  grants  me 
she  would  concede  to  any  one  else  in  the  same  posi- 
tion ;  and  I  value  her  favors  accordingly.  '  When 
lovely  woman  stoops  to  folly,'  it  is  generally  as 
much  to  gratify  herself  as  her  lover.  As  to  the  rest 
of  the  fair  sinners,  I  say  of  them,  as  St.  Paul  said  of 
another  class  of  persons,  '  They  are  bought  with  a 
price,'  and  a  very  cheap  one  at  that.  I  don't  blame 
any  of  them :  it  is  just  what  I  should  do  in  their 
places,  and  it  suits  me  exactly  ;  but  I  don't  want  to 
flatter  myself,  and  I  like  to  state  things  as  I  see 
them." 

"  Well,  my  dear  boy,"  said  the  young  man  ad- 
dressed, a  little  startled  at  the  open  avowal  of  an 


44  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

opinion  upon  which  he  acted  daily,  "  your  creed  has 
at  least  the  advantage  of  fairness  and  justice.  You 
give  women  exactly  the  liberty  you  claim,  and  don's 
think  wickedness  any  worse  in  them  than  in  your- 
self." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Reginald.  "  My  dear  fel- 
low, if  there  be  a  God,  and  a  definite  right  and  wrong 
existing  in  his  mind  and  in  our  natures,  —  which  I  am 
not  at  all  prepared  to  affirm  or  deny,  being  very 
slightly  interested  in  the  matter,  —  I  am  not  such  an 
idiot  as  to  suppose  that  he  will  acknowledge  any  sex 
in  sin ;  that  he  will  look  at  the  actor  instead  of  the 
quality  of  the  act.  I  have  never  supposed  that  the 
wrath  of  God,  like  the  wrath  of  this  world,  is  re- 
served for  the  feminine  gender ;  or  that,  if  there  be 
a  judgment-day,  men  and  women  will  not  stand  to- 
gether before  him,  to  be  judged  by  one  fixed  and 
equal  standard.  I  hear  myself  called  by  rather  hard 
names  sometimes :  but  I  am  neither  a  coward  nor  a 
lunatic  ;  and  consequently  I  acknowledge,  that,  when 
I  commit  an  act,  I  abdicate  forever  my  right  to 
criticise  it  in  any  one  else.  Not  being  of  the  '  whited- 
sepulchre '  kind,  I  don't  make  myself  ridiculous  by 
condemning  a  woman  for  enjoying  herself  as  I  have 
done,"  he  coolly  wound  up. 

"  Reginald,  do  you  believe  in  anything?"  broke 
out  his  companion. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  46 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  any  thing  ?  —  an  hereafter 
and  hell-fire  ?  I  suppose  that  is  what  you  think  I 
ought  to  be  considering.  I  believe  in  cause  and 
effect,  and  a  moral  law  of  gravitation,  —  from  which 
you  can  no  more  escape  than  you  can  get  outside  of 
your  own  skin,  —  which  will  take  you  just  where  you 
belong  both  here  and  hereafter.  As  to  the  next 
world,  I  know  nothing  about  it.  What  I  do  know 
is,  that  in  this  world,  at  this  moment,  the  weather  is 
glorious,  that"  (taking  out  his  watch,  and  looking  at 
the  time)  "  in  three  hours  I  shall  have  a  capital  appe- 
tite for  a  capital  dinner,  and  that,  in  the  mean  time, 
I  have  an  appointment  with  the  handsomest  woman 
who  has  come  out  this  season,"  Concluded  this  frank 
sensualist,  looking  so  grandly  beautiful,  so  overflowing 
with  animal  life  and  enjoyment,  as  he  sauntered  on 
through  the  sunshine,  that  his  companion  could  only 
gaze  at  him  with  envy  and  admiration. 

This  comrade  was  that  shadow  which  such  men 
always  possess  ;  that  constant  associate  and  assistant 
selected  from  the  large  following  they  are  sure  to 
draw  after  them.  In  these  days,  Leperello's  place  is 
generally  supplied  by  some  minor  Don  Juan,  who  is 
rather  an  apprentice  to  the  trade  than  a  hired  servant. 
Knowing  that  such  leaders  and  followers  must  both 
make  wealthy  marriages  as  a  provision  for  their 
advancing  years,  the  latter  think  their  chances 


46  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

improved  by  the  companionship,  hoping  to  pick  up 
some  rich  crumb  which  may  fall  from  the  master's 
table.  As  a  general  rule,  their  aim  is  entirely  beyond 
them :  they  fail  by  hundreds  where  the  one  strong, 
successful  nature  gains  its  end,  and  by  middle  age 
wear  away  into  a  mental  and  material  poverty,  which 
would  be  pitiable  if  it  were  not  contemptible. 

Of  this  class  was  Reginald's  alter  ego,  though  still 
in  his  nine-days'  puppyhood,  not  having  opened  his 
eyes  to  his  natural  fate.  Reginald's  utter  inferior  in 
pluck  and  acuteness,  he  was  his  superior  in  the  pos- 
session of  some  small  emotional  nature  ;  and  he  could 
not  follow  his  friend  entirely  in  act,  far  less  in  asser- 
tion. Like  all  moral*  cowards,  he  was  more  shocked 
by  a  broad  statement  than  a  black  fact,  provided  the 
first  were  made  openly,  and  the  latter  kept  conveni- 
ently in  the  shade.  Lloyd  Truxton,  the  individual 
in  question,  was,  to  human  sight,  good  for  no  earthly 
purpose  ;  but  there  were  times  when  Reginald  was 
too  much  for  his  nerves,  and  he  began  to  hesitate  as 
to  the  road  he  was  walking,  to  inquire  doubtfully  of 
his  master  whither  he  was  leading. 

"  Reg,"  said  the  other  at  last,  "  do  you  believe  in 
anybody's  real  goodness  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know.  That  depends,"  was  the 
answer,  beginning  rather  indifferently.  "  You  know 
what  I  think  of  women ;  and  as  to  men,  when  you 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  47 

have  added  the  weak  ones  to  the  wicked  ones,  I 
hardly  see  that  you  can  find  room  or  material  for  an- 
other class.  As  far  as  my  experience  goes,  I  could 
catalogue  people  under  those  two  great  heads,  if  it 
were  not  for  my  brother  Tom ;  he  staggers  me  ! " 
Reginald  exclaimed,  warming  up,  and  growing  inter- 
ested in  expressing  his  opinion.  "  Tom's  the  shrewd- 
est, coolest,  pluckiest  fellow  I  have  ever  seen :  there 
is  no  such  thing  as  scare  in  him ;  and  yet  look  at  the 
life  he  leads  !  He  is  a  regular  Sir  Galahad  in  a  count- 
ing-room, yet  able  to  hold  his  own  against  the  strong- 
est of  those  who  tilt  against  him.  Most  people's 
goodness  doesn't  affect  me  very  greatly :  there  is  a 
little  too  much  of  '  the  recompense  of  the  reward 
about  it.'  It  amuses  me  to  see  tfrem  intriguing  for  a 
high  place  in  heaven,  just  as  they  work  for  an  elevat- 
ed situation  here  below  ;  to  watch  them  investing  in 
prospective  in  the  •  next  world,  just  as  they  put  out 
means  to  the  best  interest  in  this  one :  it  entertains 
me  to  see  how  the  cowards  try  to  dodge  the  perdition 
they  feel  to  be  the  natural  consequence  of  the  lives 
they  lead." 

"  Well,  really,  Reginald,  I  can't  say  that  I  blame 
them  very  much.  I  don't  suppose  any  of  us  want  to 
go  to  the  Devil  if  we  can  help  it,"  Lloyd's  fellow- 
feeling  prompted  him  mildly  to  expostulate. 

"  I  believe  Tom  would  do  what  he  thought  right, 


48  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

though  he  believed  it  would  take  him  straight  to  hell ! " 
the  other  exclaimed  so  vehemently,  that  Lloyd  looked 
at  him  in  astonishment.  "  His  religion  isn't  '  other 
worldliness,'  as  Leigh  Hunt  called  it.  He  is  like  St. 
Paul :  he  '  presses  forward  to  the  mark  of  the  prize 
of  his  high  calling :  "  not  the  prize,  but  the  mark,  the 
elevation,  is  what  he  strives  after.  When  I  attempt 
to  state  the  sum  of  life,  I  am  obliged  to  put  Tom 
down  as  a  certain  quantity ;  and  I  confess  he  alters 
my  reckoning  entirely.  He's  a  queer  fellow,  —  a 
very  queer  fellow  !  " 

And  his  mind  went  back  to  a  conversation  he  and 
his  brother  had  had  years  before,  the  mere  recollec- 
tion of  which  had  power  to  make  him  silent  for  a 
time. 

On  that  occasion,  Tom,  who  had  then  some  linger- 
ing faith  in  Reginald's  reformation,  had  tried  the 
effect  of  desperate  remonstrance,  and  had  come  to 
a  definite  understanding  upon  another  point.  Lead- 
ing a  very  busy  life,  and  going  only  occasionally  into 
society,  Tom  did  not  know,  and  did  not  care  to  know, 
the  details  of  his  brother's  existence.  But  exact  facts 
are  not  needed  by  acute  perceptions  ;  and  sin  leaves 
its  dreadful  signet,  whose  impress  can  be  read  like  a 
written  page.  Character  is  formed  by  accretion  ;  and 
a  man's  associates,  and  the  story  of  his  life,  tell  them- 
selves without  words.  Reginald  was  too  well  bred 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  49 

to  use  a  coarse  expression  before  a  lady ;  but  the  un- 
conscious, indefinable  tone  of  his  conversation,  the 
sentiments  and  opinions  he  sometimes  let  slip,  made 
Tom  flush  with  anger  at  his  end  of  the  table,  while 
Maria  colored  with  shame  and  sorrow  at  hers.  Gen- 
erally, she  managed  to  keep  silent  on  such  occasions  ; 
but,  every  now  and  then,  the  pent-up,  growing  indig- 
nation of  weeks  would  flash  out  in  some  biting  sen- 
tence, which  would  have  cut  his  conscience  to  the 
quick  had  he  possessed  such  an  uncomfortable  ad- 
junct. Being  exempt  from  such  weakness,  she 
merely  disturbed  his  nerves  ;  and  he  would  regard 
her  for  a  little  while  with  a  sort  of  mild  detestation, 
blandly  indicating  at  the  same  time  his  pity  for  her 
defective  temper. 

It  was  after  such  an  occasion,  rather  more  marked 
than  usual,  that  Tom  spoke  out. 

He  waited  until  Reginald  dropped  into  his  count- 
ing-room for  the  customary  morning  visit.  Leaving  his 
writing-desk,  he  came  and  stood  with  his  back  to  the 
fire,  looking  down  at  the  handsome  face  and  figure 
sitting  with  such  elegant  grace  in  the  arm-chair  before 
him. 

"Reginald,"  he  said  presently,  "I  want  to  say 
something  to  you." 

The  other  glanced  quickly  up  with  that  radiant 
smile  which  seemed  shared  between  his  white  teeth 


50  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

and  his  brilliant  eyes,  and  saw  in  a  moment  where 
the  trouble  lay. 

"  Well,  old  fellow,  what  is  it  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  at- 
tempting to  carry  this  off,  as  he  did  all  things,  by  his 
genial  laugh  and  lordly  presence. 

"  I  am  not,"  Tom  went  on  steadily,  looking  him 
straight  in  the  eyes,  "  moral  dry-nurse  to  you  or  any 
other  man ;  and  I  don't  attempt  to  preach  to  you,  as 
I  suppose  it  would  do  no  good.  You  are  my  brother, 
and  have  a  right  to  share  my  home ;  but  I  swear  to 
you  here,  that,  if  ever  again  you  bring  into  it  even 
the  shadow  of  your  outside  existence  to  insult  those 
who  live  in  it,  you  walk  out  of  my  door,  never  again 
to  enter  it  while  I  breathe  ! " 

"  Why,  you  take  matters  seriously,  my  dear  boy," 
said  Reginald  airily.  "  I  have  no  desire  either  to  in- 
sult or  to  incommode  Maria ;  but  she  is  so  ridiculously 
narrow-minded,  you  know." 

"  Maria  is  right,"  Tom  broke  out  hotly,  his  eyes 
glowing,  and  the  anger  he  had  been  visibly  restraining 
getting  the  better  of  him.  "  I  would  to  Heaven  there 
were  more  women  like  her ;  for  then  your  trade  would 
fail.  Reginald  Archer,  if  you  were  not  my  brother, 
bound  to  me  by  ties  which  I  can  not  and  ought  not  to 
break,  I  would  never  speak  to  you ;  I  would  never 
touch  your  hand ;  I  would  cast  you  off  as  an  object 
utterly  loathsome  to  me.  Why,  man,  a  dog  has  in- 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  51 

• 

stincts  above  yours,  and  would  disdain  the  life  you 
lead :  even  that  brute  can  love  and  cling  to  one  object, 
can  hold  to  one  master." 

"  Tom,"  said  the  other  slowly,  gathering  himself  up, 
and  standing  before  his  brother  in  all  his  splendid 
physical  superiority,  and  planting  himself,  as  it  were, 
upon  it,  "  you  and  I  have  entirely  different  aims  and 
pleasures  in  life.  You  like  to  work,  and  I  like  to 
play ;  and  I  am  sorry  that  you  will  not  or  can  not 
share  my  enjoyment." 

"  Enjoyment !  "  cried  (Tom.  "  Do  you  call  it 
pleasure  to  cultivate  the  lowest  elements  of  your 
nature ;  to  wallow  in  filth  that  a  clean  animal  would 
reject?  Do  you  desire  such  a  present  for  me,  and 
such  a  future  as  it  must  inevitably  produce  ?  Man, 
I  hope  one  day  to  marry  a  good,  innocent  woman. 
What  right  could  I  have  to  ask  of  her  the  pure  heart 
and  clean  hands  I  could  not  offer  her  in  return  ?  Do 
I  want  to  give  my  wife  her  first  lesson  of  evil  in 
actual  life  ?  Do  I  wish  the  ghost  of  my  wicked  past 
to  haunt  my  bed  and  board  ?  Could  I  bear  to  see 
the  woman  I  loved  shrink  from  me  in  uncontrollable 
physical  loathing  when  the  slightest  taint  of  what 
had  gone  before  re-appeared  ?  I  believe  in  a  moral 
arithmetic,  which  keeps  unfailing  account  of  every 
action ;  and,  in  footing  up  the  sum  of  life,  facts  will 
no  more  lie  than  figures.  I  can't  think  that  man 


52  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

• 

wise  who  makes  such  a  provision  for  his  old  age  ;  and, 
if  that  is  what  you  call  happiness,  keep  it  to  yourself, 
for  I  want  none  of  it." 

"  Tom,"  said  Reginald,  gazing  at  his  brother  with 
a  grave,  blank  expression,  which  the  other  had  never 
before  seen  in  his  face,  "  either  you  are  a  fool,  or  I  am 
one ;  and  excuse  me  for  saying  that  I  do  not  much 
doubt  to  whom  the  honor  belongs.  However,  if  you 
happen  to  be  right,  I  am  most  infernally  wrong.  At 
any  rate,  if  I  were  not  myself,  I  would  be  you,  —  one 
thing  or  the  other,  and  not  a  flimsy  compromise  be- 
tween the  two." 

"  Reg,"  exclaimed  Tom,  with  a  thrill  through  his 
voice,  "  do  you  ever  remember  our  mother,  and  the 
pure  home  she  made  for  us  ?  Doesn't  it  sometimes 
fill  you  with  shame  and  remorse  to  think  of  the  good 
women  who  have  loved  you  there  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  cool,  quiet  reply.  "  I  am  not  a 
woman ;  and  I  can't  measure  myself  sufficiently  with 
them  for  their  influence  or  example  to  have  much 
effect  upon  me.  But  I  think  of  you  sometimes,  old 
boy,  because  you  are  a  man,  with  the  same  liberty 
and  the  same  lot  as  myself ;  and  I  confess  you  are  a 
fact  hi  Nature  which  I  can't  quite  get  over." 

And  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  brother's  shoulder,  and 
looked  down  at  him,  not  only  with  acute  mental 
appreciation,  but  with  something  so  much  like  human 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  53 

feeling,  that  Tom  flushed  with  pleasure  and  surprise. 
He  knew  ever  after,  that,  if  Reginald  had  possessed  a 
heart,  he  would  have  had  the  first  place  in  it ;  that,  as 
much  as  the  man  was  capable  of  giving,  he  received. 
He  never  quite  forgot  that  grasp  upon  his  arm. 
Its  memory  lingered  with  him  even  in  the  heat  of  the 
battle  he  and  his  brother  were  destined  to  fight :  it 
came  strangely  back  to  him  when  it  was  the  touch  of 
a  vanished  hand ;  when  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death  lay  between  them. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  old  saying  runs,  that  there  is  a  woman  at  the 
bottom  of  every  thing  If  there  be  an  excep- 
tion to  this  rule,  it  certainly  is  not  in  the  case  of 
novels.  In  them,  at  least,  the  female  element  is 
sufficiently  felt ;  generally  forming,  not  only  the  foun- 
dation, but  a -large  portion  of  the  structure,  of  the 
tale.  Your  heroine  is  a  necessity;  and  the  motive- 
power  "which  makes  the  world  go  round"  here  ap- 
pears in  its  full  proportions :  here,  at  least,  women 
and  love  receive  credit  for  all  they  accomplish.  Be 
the  lady  what  she  may,  she  is,  ex  officio,  the  centre  of 
the  story;  and  the  person  about  to  be  introduced 
to  the  reader  claims  attention  by  that  position. 

It  was  when  the  lives  and  characters  of  the  Archer 
family  had  reached  the  phase  described  that  she  re- 
appeared to  influence  the  existence  of  these  brothers ; 
to  win  the  love  of  one,  and  the  hand  of  the  other. 
Connected  with  their  boyhood,  and  then  forgotten, 
Fate  brought  her  back  to  mould  the  manhood  of 
both;  used  her  small  hand  to  shape  the  career  and 
develop  the  nature  of  each. 

54 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  55 

"  I  saw  a  gentleman  from  California  last  night," 
said  Tom,  one  morning,  as  he  took  his  place  at  the 
breakfast-table ;  "  and  he  told  me  that  old  Col.  Mac- 
alaster  died  a  month  or  two  ago.  It  carried  me  back 
to  the  old  times  to  hear  the  name.  Don't  you  re- 
member the  stately  way  in  which  he  and  father  used 
to  call  each  other  cousin  ?  though  I  defy  either  of 
them  to  trace  the  relationship.  It*  is  rather  odd  that 
we  have  not  heard  of  his  death  before.  But  perhaps 
Christie  has  almost  forgotten  us  ;  and  there  was,  prob- 
ably, no  one  else  to  let  us  know." 

"  She  can  scarcely  have  forgotten  us,"  remarked 
Maria :  "  she  saw  too  much  of  us  when  she  was  a 
little  child  for  that.  Why,  when  they  lived  in  the 
South,  they  were  here  every  summer,  on  their  way 
to  the  Springs.  Perhaps,  on  the  other  hand,  she  may 
think  she  has  gone  out  of  our  recollection.  Poor 
little  Christie  !  she  is  entirely  alone  in  the  world  now. 
I  think  I  will  write  to  her  to-day,  and  tell  her  how 
sorry  I  am  for  her." 

"  By  all  means,"  said  Tom.  "  She  used  to  be  very 
fond  of  you,  Maria." 

"  Little  Christie  can't  be  little  Christie  any  longer," 
quietly  remarked  Reginald,  who  had  looked  up  with 
quick  interest  at  Tom's  announcement,  but  had  not 
yet  spoken.  "  I  wonder  how  old  she  is  now." 

"  That  is  very  easily  determined,"  answered  Maria  ; 
"  for  she  is  just  Ellen's  age.." 


56  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

"  And  how  old  are  you,  little  woman  ? "  asked 
Reginald  of  his  sister,  who  sat  lazily  eating  her  break- 
fast, her  sympathy  in  the  sorrows  of  others  being 
much  too  mild  to  affect  her  appetite  even  momen- 
tarily. 

"  Eighteen,"  she  replied. 

"  Then,"  said  Reginald  slowly,  "  Christie  probably 
has  that  immense  fortune  in  her  own  right,  and  under 
her  own  control." 

Tom  lifted  his  head  suddenly,  caught  his  brother's 
eye,  and  read  his  thought  perfectly.  When  he  looked 
down  upon  his  plate  again,  it  was  with  a  rather  sar- 
donic smile  upon  his  lips. 

"  Ah,  that  is  your  idea !  "  he  thought.  "  No  doubt 
the  money  would  suit  you  exactly.  But,  thank 
heavens !  she  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  country ;  and 
I  hope  most  devoutly  that  she  will  stay  there.  If 
she  ever  comes  within  your  reach,  she  will  have 
about  the  same  chance  that  a  bird  has  before  a 
snake." 

"  Christie  used  to  be  pretty,"  Reginald  went  on 
presently.  "  I  wonder  how  she  has  grown  up.  I  hope 
she  is  as  much  like  Ellen  in  that  as  she  is  in  age,"  he 
added,  nodding  pleasantly  to  the  person  in  question, 
and  instinctively  using  the  language  of  compliment 
to  a  woman,  even  though  she  were  his  sister.  In 
this  case  he  spoke  the  truth ;  for  Elleii  was  as  pretty 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  57 

as  a  lazy  little  pink-and-white  doll  could  possibly 
be.  Between  herself  and  Reginald  there  was  a 
decided  resemblance  both  in  disposition  and  appear- 
ance ;  and,  as  their  tastes  for  pleasure  and  comfort 
agreed,  they  rather  liked  each  other,  and  always 
coalesced  in  family  discussions. 

"  Christie  could  never  be  ugly,  with  those  great 
dark  eyes  of  hers,  and  that  lovely  curling  hair,  even 
if  her  features  have  changed,"  said  Maria,  smiling  as 
the  recollection  of  the  pretty,  merry  child  came  back 
to  her. 

"  I  wonder  whether  she  tears  her  dresses  still," 
laughed  Tom.  "  What  a  wild,  little  thing  it  used  to 
be !  She  kept  me  in  perpetual  terror  for  fear  she 
would  come  to  grief  and  break  her  neck." 

Poor  Tom  !  He  little  imagined  how  soon  his  fear 
for  her  would  be  upon  him  again,  or  that  this  time 
his  tenible  dread  would  be  that  she  would  break  her 
heart. 

"  Don't  forget  to  write  to  her,  Maria,"  he  said,  as 
he  lighted  his  cigar,  and  left  the  breakfast-room  to  go 
down  town  to  his  counting-house ;  "  and  give  my  love 
to  her  when  you  do  so." 

Reginald  lingered  over  his  tea  and  toast,  as  was  his 
custom,  for  some  time  after  his  brother's  departure. 
He  had  a  certain  purpose  to  accomplish  ;  but  he  took 
his  own  time,  and  the  means  he  judged  best,  for  secur- 

3* 


58  REGINALD   ARCHER, 

ing  it.  He  never  hurried,  and  therefore  never  lost 
his  acuteness  nor  his  composure.  He  had  seen  and 
understood  Tom's  look  at  his  mention  of  Christie's 
money,  though  he  kept  any  shade  of  comprehension 
from  his  eyes  ;  and  he  knew  he  must  effect  his  object 
without  his  brother's  knowledge,  and  secure  its  fulfil- 
ment before  the  other  could  interfere. 

He  waited  until  Maria  had  made  her  household 
arrangements  for  the  day  and  was  about  to  leave  the 
room.  Then  he  spoke. 

"  Maria,"  he  said  when  her  hand  was  on  the  door- 
knob, "  I  shall  not  go  down  town  before  mid-day ; 
and,  if  you  will  write  your  letter  to  Christie  before 
then,  I  will  post  it  myself." 

"  Thanks,"  said  his  sister,  quite  touched  at  this 
unusual  desire  to  oblige  some  one  besides  himself. 

"  By  the  way,"  he  went  on,  as  though  the  idea  had 
just  occurred  to  him,  "  don't  you  think  it  would  be 
well  to  ask  Christie  to  pay  us  a  visit  ?  She  is  free  to 
go  where  she  pleases ;  and  I  should  think  she  would 
like  to  come  back  to  the  Atlantic  States,  if  only  for 
change  and  variety.  We  are  her  nearest  connec- 
tions, and  ought  to  show  her  some  kindness  and 
attention.  Besides,  it  will  be  so  pleasant  for  Ellen  to 
have  some  companion  of  her  own  age !  Poor  little 
Nell  doesn't  have  much  fun  in  life ;  and  she  shall 
have  a  good  time  when  Christie  comes." 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  59 

And  he  stooped  down,  and  smoothed  Ellen's  curl- 
ing hair  with  a  real  appreciation  of  its  beauty,  and 
an  apparent  brotherly  attention  before  which  he 
knew  Maria  would  melt  like  wax.  Ellen's  welfare 
was  an  unanswerable  argument  with  her ;  and  con- 
sequently he  fully  expected  the  reply  he  received,  — 
at  least,  the  first  part  of  it. 

"  I  think  it  would  be  an  excellent  plan.  Christie 
can  only  say  '  No,'  if  she  does  not  care  to  come  ;  and, 
if  she  would  like  it,  we  should  be  charmed.  But," 
she  added,  suddenly  hesitating,  "  don't  you  think  we 
had  better  speak  to  Tom  about  it  first  ?  You  know, 
after  all,  it  is  his  house." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  her  brother.  "  Tom  al- 
ways liked  Christie ;  and  he  is  as  hospitable  as  he 
can  possibly  be.  He  will  be  delighted  to  have  her 
here,"  —  deliberately  lying  with  a  smooth  grace  that 
was  inimitable.  "  Go  up  stairs  and  write  your  let- 
ter ;  and,  as  I  have  said,  I  will  post  it  for  you." 

And,  thus  urged,  Maria  complied. 

Reginald  sat  back  in  his  chair,  and  held  up  his 
newspaper  as  though  he  were  reading  it.  But  he 
could  not  have  made  much  progress ;  for  his  eyes 
rested  upon  the  same  spot ;  and  there  was  a  quiet 
smile  in  their  depths,  that  told  of  a  satisfaction  as 
deep  as  it  was  undemonstrative. 

He  did  not  return  to  dinner  that  day.     He  wanted 


GO  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

Tom  to  hear  of  the  invitation  which  had  been  sent 
and  to  realize  his  powerlessness  to  prevent  its  accept- 
ance, before  they  again  met,  thereby  escaping  expla- 
nation or  outbreak  with  liis  brother.  • 

It  fell  out  just  as  he  had  calculated. 

"  Tom,  I  have  written  to  Christie,"  Maria  said  as 
soon  as  she  saw  him  that  evening. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  he  answered.  "  What 
did  you  say  to  her  ?  " 

"  Oh !  I  told  her  how  much  we  sympathized  with 
her,  and  how  well  we  remembered  the  old  days 
when  she  used  to  stay  with  us ;  and  I  asked  her  to 
come  and  stay  with  us  again." 

"  You  did !  "  cried  Tom,  whirling  round  on  her, 
with  a  flash  in  his  eyes  and  a  breathlessness  in  his 
voice  that  startled  her. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered  nervously,  with  surprise  at 
his  evident  objection  to  the  invitation.  "  I  had  no 
idea  that  you  would  not  be  pleased.  Why  do  you 
dislike  the  plan  ?  " 

"  How  came  you  to  ask  her  ?  "  he  demanded,  dis- 
regarding her  question,  and  following  his  own 
thoughts. 

"  Why,  I  supposed  it  would  be  delightful  for  us 
all ;  and  then  Reginald  said,  what  was  very  true, 
that  it  would  be  so  pleasant  and  useful  to  Ellen  to 
have  a  young  companion  !  " 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  61 

"  Ah !  Reginald  suggested  it,  did  he  ?  I  might 
have  known  it !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Well,  that  will 
do,"  he  added  hastily,  a  moment  after,  evidently  to 
cut  the  matter  short.  And  he  turned  to  the  win- 
dow, and  gazed  out  of  it  for  the  next  five  minutes 
in  perfect  silence. 

"  So  Reginald  played  his  trump  as  soon  as  my 
back  was  turned,  and  won  the  trick,"  thought  Tom 
hotly. 

As  his  brother  had  foreseen,  he  was  too  acute 
not  to  recognize  instantly  his  helplessness  in  the 
situation.  He  was  quite  sufficiently  human  for  his 
vanity  to  tingle  at  being  thus  quietly  outwitted ; 
but  it  was  a  much  higher  emotion  than  injured  self- 
conceit  which  filled  him  with  sore  indignation 
against  the  man  who  had  circumvented  him,  and 
which  made  his  heart  sink  with  pity  for  the  pretty 
little  girl  he  remembered  with  such  curious  old-time 
tenderness. 

"  Will  he  win  the  whole  game  in  the  same  way, 
and  with  the  same  ease  ?  "  And  his  own  dread  an- 
swered him. 

"  Maria,"  he  said  quietly  when  he  presently  took 
his  place  at  the  table,  "  if  Christie  comes,  of  course 
we  will  all  welcome  her  as  cordially  as  we  did  years 
ago.  But  I  must  tell  you,  once  for  all,  that  I  cannot 
let  Reginald  direct  the  affairs  of  this  household  in 


62  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

any  thing.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  you  know  as 
well  as  I  do  that  his  guidance  would  contribute 
neither  to  the  good  nor  the  happiness  of  any  one 

in  it." 

i 

As  Reginald  well  knew,  he  was  safe  from  any 
marked  outward  sign  of  defeat  from  Tom.  Conse- 
quently, he  entered  the  breakfasts-room  next  morn- 
ing not  only  with  perfect  external  ease,  but  much 
inward  comfort.  His  brother's  manner  towards  him 
had  a  quiet  little  chill  in  it,  which  would  have 
affected  the  nerves  of  a  weaker  man.  But  Reginald 
carried  to  perfection  the  great  art  of  never  seeing 
that  which  he  did  not  wish  to  see,  and  merely 
noticed  the  change  so  far  as  to  cover  it  with  in- 
creased gayety  and  good  humor.  Then,  as  often 
before,  he  seemed  to  turn  the  ordinary  meal  into  a 
banquet  by  his  aesthetic  appreciation  of  the  viands, 
and  the  intellectual  feast  he  spread  before  those  sur- 
rounding the  table.  He  carried  Ellen,  Arnold,  and 
Maria  completely  away  with  him ;  and  even  Tom 
could  not  help  looking  at  him  with  a  strange  love 
and  pride  mingling  in  his  sorrow  and  anger. 

By  the  earliest  return  mail,  Christie's  answer 
arrived.  It  read  as  though  tears  and  smiles  had 
been  shed  upon  it.  The  poor  little  woman  eagerly 
grasped,  perhaps,  the  first  tender,  well-known  hand 
which  had  been  extended  to  her  since  her  father's 
death. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  63 

"  Of  course  she  would  come,"  she  wrote,  "  if  they 
were  good  enough  to  love  her  still,  and  care  to  see 
her.  Did  they  think  she  could  ever  forget  how  kind 
they  had  once  been  to  her  ?  If  they  could  only  know 
how  lonely  she  had  been  during  the  past  months, 
they  would  understand  her  eagerness  to  be  with 
those  who  had  once  loved  her  father  and  herself." 

And  then  she  went  on  to  recall  each  member  of  the 
family  with  the  minuteness  of  a  child's  recollection, 
showing  how  fresh  their  memory  remained  in  her 
warm,  innocent  heart. 

"  She  is  just  the  same  impetuous  little  creature  she 
always  was,"  said  Tom,  laughing  softly  over  the  let- 
ter. "  Just  look  at  the  headlong  handwriting !  I 
wonder  how  many,  or  rather  how  few,  i's  are  dotted, 
or  £'s  crossed,  in  the  whole  document." 

Except  for  his  intuitions  as  to  Reginald's  designs 
upon  the  girl  and  her  fortune,  Tom  thought  how  glad- 
ly he  would  have  welcomed  her  to  his  home.  Even 
as  it  was,  when  he  could  partially  forget  his  fears,  or 
persuade  himself  that  he  had  been  over-certain  of  the 
result,  he  would  look  forward  with  delight  to  the 
prospect  of  seeing  her,  and  grow  as  eager  for  her 
coming  as  the  remainder  of  the  household. 

As  for  the  rest,  except  Reginald,  they  talked  of 
little  else.  He,  having  gained  his  purpose,  covered 
His  further  intentions  by  apparent  indifference.  Maria 


64  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

and  Ellen  spent  much  of  their  time  in  refurnishing 
the  pleasantest  spare-chamber  for  her  occupancy,  and 
daily  added  some  small  ornament  or  engraving  to 
beautify  it,  or  some  article  of  furniture  with  which 
to  render  it  more  comfortable. 

As  for  Arnold,  he  labored  for  weeks,  with  an  incal- 
culable amount  of  industry  and  skill,  upon  a  wonder- 
fully-carved cage,  in  which  his  sweetest-voiced  canary 
was  to  hang  in  Christie's  room.  He  wished  to  sacri- 
fice several  other  small  animals  at  her  shrine ;  but 
Maria  was  compelled  to  protest,  and  they  compro- 
mised upon  the  bird. 

The  manufacture  of  its  cage  afforded  entertainment 
for  the  whole  family.  Such  was  its  elaborateness,  and 
the  pains  Arnold  lavished  upon  it,  that  he  found  him- 
self so  pressed  by  business  as  scarcely  to  have  time 
to  partake  of  his  meals  regularly.  Carrying  bits  of  it 
about  with  him,  and  applying  himself  thereto  regard- 
less of  time  or  place,  Maria  could  not  help  faintly 
intimating,  that,  considering  the  chips,  dust,  and  in- 
jury to  tables  and  chairs,  it  would  have  been  a  de- 
cided saving  to  buy  a  handsome  cage.  But  Tom  gave 
her  a  quick  look,  which  silenced  the  sentence  before 
it  was  half  out  of  her  lips. 

He  would  listen  to  Arnold's  explanations  on  the 
subject  with  the  greatest  apparent  interest ;  and 
would  sit  and  watch  him  carve,  with  a  loving  smile  in 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  65 

his  eyes  which  was  beautiful  to  behold.  Reginald 
would  stand  and  gaze  at  both  with  the  queerest  laugh 
in  the  corners  of  his  mouth.  Tom's  delicate  generos- 
ity and  tenderness  always  touched  his  brother's  aes- 
thetic perceptions ;  and  the  whole  situation  curiously 
stirred  his  sense  of  humor.  Added  to  this,  it  amused 
him  that  they  should  show  such  earnestness  over  an 
arrival  which  meant  so  little  to  them,  and  so  much  to 
him ;  that  they  should  be  so  eager  and  occupied,  and 
he  so  idle,  and  apparently  uninterested. 

The  time  that  went  by  was  filled  to  them  all  with 
a  pleasant  sense  of  expectation  ;  and  scarcely  a  day 
passed  without  some  one  reckoning  the  shortest  period 
which  must  necessarily  elapse  before  Christie  could 
be  with  them. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

TO  society,  Christie  Macalaster  was  merely  re- 
markable for  being  the  sole  heiress  to  her 
father's  great  estate.  Her  personal  attributes  were 
unknown,  as  she  had  been  brought  up  in  perfect 
seclusion.  Motherless  almost  from  her  infancy, 
Col.  Macalaster  found  his  darling  child  a  heavy 
responsibility.  Feeling  a  busy  man's  inability  to 
give  his  daughter  a  proper  woman's  training,  without 
time  or  power  to  select  her  associates  and  shield  her 
from  harmful  influences,  he  had  adopted  the  negative 
system  of  shutting  her  out  from  companionship  of 
almost  every  kind.  Left  at  first  to  the  care  of  a 
faithful  nurse,  and  passing  afterwards  into  the  hands 
of  masters  and  professors  who  taught  her  all  that 
educated  young  ladies  are  supposed  to  know,  she  had 
grown  up  entirely  apart  from  the  world  and  ordinary 
social  existence.  Her  ideas  of  human  nature  and 
life  were  gathered  from  poetry,  and  novels  of  the 
better  sort ;  and  what  relation  they  bore  to  facts 
may  be  imagined. 

66 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  67 

Col.  Macalaster's  secret  dread  had  been,  that  his 
daughter  would  be  married  for  her  wealth ;  and  he 
had  sought  to  put  off  the  possibility  by  delaying  her 
introduction  into  society  as  long  as  possible.  The 
girl's  disposition  and  childlike  appearance  assisted 
him  in  this,  and  enabled  him  to  regard  her,  almost  to 
the  end,  merely  as  his  little  pet,  requiring  from  him 
only  love  and  tenderness. 

A  consciousness  of  her  womanhood  and  his  altered 
duties  had  just  begun  to  force  itself  upon  him,  when 
death  relieved  him  of  this  and  all  other  cares ;  leav- 
ing his  child  to  face  the  world,  of  which  she  knew 
absolutely  nothing. 

In  those  days,  the  Pacific  Railroad  was  not ;  and  a 
journey  from  California  meant  sailing  through  two 
oceans,  instead  of  flying  across  a  continent  as  now. 
Consequently,  it  was  many  weeks  before  Tom  re- 
ceived a  telegram  from  New  York  stating  that 
Christie  was  in  that  city,  which  she  would  leave  in 
time  to  be  with  them  that  evening. 

Tom  carried  home  the  telegram  in  triumph,  and, 
after  warning  them  to  kill  the  fatted  calf,  drove 
down  to  the  station  to  meet  the  train.  He  felt  sure 
he  should  know  fhe  girl,  unless  she  had  entirely 
changed  since  childhood ;  and  her  letter  had  been  so 
like  her  old  self,  that  he  could  not  believe  the  physi- 
cal alteration  had  been  very  great. 


.  68  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

He  was  walking  down  the  car,  examining  the  faces 
he  passed,  when  a  little  figure  in  black  sprang  up, 
and,  eagerly  putting  out  its  hands,  exclaimed,  — 

"  Why,  it's  Tom  !  I  should  have  known  you  any- 
where ! " 

"  And  I  should  have  known  that  you  were  Chris- 
tie, if  only  by  your  eyes.  They  are  as  big  and  brown 
as  ever,"  laughed  Tom,  as  he  grasped  the  little 
hands  in  both  of  his. 

"  I  am  so  very,  very  glad  to  see  you  !  "  the  girl 
went  on,  her  innocent  pleasure  overflowing  at  lips 
and  eyes. 

"  Not  half  so  delighted  as  I  am  to  get  you  back,1' 
Tom  answered  eagerly ;  and  he  was  surprised  at  the 
fervency  with  which  he  spoke  and  felt  the  sen- 
tence. 

Half  an  hour  before,  he  might  have  said  the  same 
words,  and  meant  them ;  but  those  clinging  hands, 
and  that  sweet,  upturned  face,  with  its  changeful 
color  and  shining  eyes,  had  put  a  something  in  them 
which  they  would  not  then  have  possessed.  He 
gave  the  girl  his  arm,  and  conveyed  her  to  the 
carriage. 

"  It  makes  me  feel  like  a  child  once  more  to  have 
you  taking  care  of  me,  Tom,"  she  said,  after  he  had 
made  her  as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  they  were 
driving  along  the  streets  toward  home. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  69 

"I  am  sure  you  look  like  very  little  else,"  he 
answered  gayly :  "  and  I  shall  have  to  pet  you  and 
take  care  of  you  accordingly;  for  you  evidently 
can't  do  it  for  yourself.  See,  your  furs  are  falling 
off  now ! "  and  he  drew  her  wrappings  close  and 
warm  about  her. 

She  nestled  down  into  them  with  a  soft  little 
laugh,  which  Tom  thought  the  sweetest  sound  he 
had  ever  heard. 

"You  must  be  very  tired,  Christie,  with  travel- 
ling so  many  hours,"  said  he  after  some  further  talk, 
his  remark  suggested  by  a  smothered  gap  on  the  girl's 
part.  "  Lay  your  head  on  my  shoulder,  and  try  to 
rest  for  a  few  moments.  I  want  you  to  be  bright 
and  fresh  when  we  reach  home ;  and  we  shall  be 
there  in  about  half  an  hour." 

The  girl  laughed,  winking  like  a  sleepy  kitten ; 
and  finally  did  as  she  was  told.  In  a  little  while,  she 
had  dropped  into  a  doze  as  unruffled  as  an  infant's 
repose.  Tom  looked  down  at  her  with  a  curious 
tenderness  stirring  his  heart.  The  street-lamps, 
shedding  their  light  into  the  carriage  from  moment 
to  moment,  showed  him  the  fair,  innocent  face  in  all 
the  soft  warmth  of  slumber.  It  was  a  delicately 
formed  and  tinted  countenance.  The  small  features 
were  so  rounded  by  youth  and  health  as  to  seem 
scarcely  those  of  a  woman  ;  while  the  long  lashes 


70  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

resting  upon  the  pink  cheeks,  and  the  lovely  rings  of 
curling  brown  hair,  showed  that  she  was  a  remarka- 
bly pretty  one. 

"I  shall  have  to  wake  this  poor  little  baby," 
thought  Tom  as  they  approached  the  house,  with  un- 
speakable annoyance  at  the  idea  of  any  change  in  the 
situation. 

But  Christie  spared  him  the  trial ;  for,  when  the 
carriage  stopped,  she  raised  her  head,  rubbed  her 
eyes,  and  was  herself  again  almost  in  a  second. 

"  Why,  you  are  as  gay  as  a  bird !  "  exclaimed  Tom 
in  astonishment.  "  So  you  can  fly  out  of  your  cage," 
he  added  as  he  took  her  hand  and  she  sprang  to  the 
ground.  "  Here  are  the  family  at  the  door  waiting 
for  you." 

And,  in  another  minute,  Christie  was  quite  lost  in 
the  mingled  embraces  of  the  two  girls. 

"  Christie  dear,  I  am  so  delighted  to  see  you,  and 
so  glad  you  are  as  pretty  as  ever !  "  cried  Maria  from 
the  depths  of  her  honest,  generous  heart. 

"  Beginning  to  spoil  me  already,  just  as  you  always 
did,  you  dear  old  thing !  "  returned  the  other,  reach- 
ing up  to  her  shoulders,  and  giving  her  a  shake  which 
set  them  instantly  upon  their  old  footing. 

Ellen  had  also  noticed  Christie's  beauty,  but  had 
scarcely  shared  her  sister's  sentiment  regarding  it. 
However,  their  styles  being  exactly  opposites,  she 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  71 

consoled  herself  with  the  idea  that  they  would  be 
effective  contrasts  rather  than  eclipsing  rivals.  Con- 
sequently, by  the  time  it  became  her  turn  to  kiss 
Christie,  she  could  do  so  with  all  the  good  will  and 
enthusiasm  of  which  she  was  capable. 

Arnold  stood  disconsolately  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  party,  intensely  conscious  of  himself,  and  his  in- 
ability to  make  himself  felt  and  heard.  He  beamed 
upon  the  new-comer  most  blandly,  but  was  quite 
unequal  to  any  further  unassisted  expression  of  his 
feelings. 

"  Christie,  here  is  Arnold,"  said  Tom  ;  as  usual, 
quick  to  come  to  his  brother's  rescue.  "  Don't  you 
remember  him  ?  " 

"  Perfectly,"  she  replied  ;  "  and  his  cats  and  dogs 
too.  Do  your  birds  still  sing  more  sweetly,  and  your 
flowers  grow  better,  than  any  one's  else?  "  she  asked 
as  sh£  smiled  brightly  up  at  the  man. 

Arnold  went  into,  an  ecstasy  of  blushes  as  he 
managed  to  tell  her  that  his  pets  still  existed  ;  and 
that,  in  future,  the  birds  should  sing,  and  the  flowers 
bloom,  for  her  and  her  pleasure. 

"  Why,  you  are  working  miracles  already,  -Chris- 
tie," laughed  Tom,  patting  his  brother's  shoulder, 
"  in  setting  Arnold  to  making  gallant  speeches." 

Whereat  Arnold  became  more  celestial  rosy-red 
than  ever. 


72  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

Then  Christie  was  taken  up  stairs  to  make  some 
preparation  for  dinner. 

While  this  scene  had  been  going  on  below,  Regi- 
nald had  been  standing  in  his  bedroom,  before  his 
dressing-glass,  gazing  at  the  magnificent  figure  and 
face  reflected  therein,  and  giving  little  effective 
touches  to  his  evening  toilet.  The  occasion  had 
seemed  to  him  of  sufficient  importance  to  make 
him  waver  in  his  choice  between  two  cravats,  and 
only  to  reach  a  decision  after  trying  both.  He 
was  aware  of  Christie's  arrival ;  had  heard  the  as- 
cending sounds  of  her  greeting :  but  it  was  no  part 
of  his  plan  to  mingle  his  welcome  with  that  of  the 
family.  He  knew  the  power  of  a  first  impression, 
and  he  intended  to  use  it.  His  purpose  was  to 
appear  before  her  in  all  his  glory,  and  stamp  his 
image  and  superscription  upon  her  nature  once  and 
forever.  Had  she  been  a  poor,  pretty  girl,  with 
whom  he  was  to  be  thrown,  Reginald  would  have 
attempted  her  conquest  as  a  matter  of  vanity  and 
habit :  being  the  heiress  to  nearly  a  million  of  dollars, 
he  put  his  hand  to  the  same  work  as  an  affair  of 
business,  and  very  serious  business  indeed.  He  had 
no  doubt  as  to  the  result ;  but  he  did  not  wish  to  risk 
mistakes  or  false  steps.  He  well  knew  that  such  a 
fortune  is  not  to  be  secured  every  day,  even  by  such 
a  man  ;  and  that  it  behooved  him  to  do  quickly  that 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  73 

which  he  had  to  do.  Pate,  —  he  was  in  such  a  good 
humor,  that  he  was  almost  inclined  to  call  it  Provi- 
dence, —  aided  by  some  slight  intriguing  on  his  own 
part,  had  brought  the  girl  into  his  hand.  Thus 
placed,  he  thought,  if  he  did  not  win  her,  he  de- 
served to  lose  her  and  her  fortune.  His  expendi- 
tures had  been  unusually  heavy  that  year,  and  he 
was  rather  tired  of  extracting  cash  from  Tom :  even 
that  slight  exertion  bore  a  faint  resemblance  to  work- 
ing for  his  living,  which  made  it  constitutionally 
objectionable  to  him.  He  had  now  an  opportunity 
of  permanently  and  splendidly  providing  for  him- 
self; and  he  intended  to  improve  it.  The  largest 
"  piece  of  bread  and  butter  "  he  had  ever  been  near 
was  now  within  his  reach ;  and,  true  to  his  nature, 
this  little  pig  intended  to  "  get "  it. 

"  Is  Reginald  away  from  home  ?  "  asked  Christie 
while  she  was  dressing,  speaking  of  him  in  the  same 
familiar  tone  in  which  she  had  addressed  the  others. 
"  He  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  I  haven't  yet  seen." 

"  No,"  answered  Maria :  "  he  is  in  the  house  now. 
You  will  meet  him  presently,  at  dinner." 

"  I  remember  him  as  such  a  tall,  handsome  boy," 
Christie  chatted  on  at  her  ease. 

"  Reginald  is  even  more  beautiful  now  than  he  was 
then,"  replied  Maria  complacently,  sharing  the  family 
pride  in  her  brother's  superb  aspect. 

4 


74  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

"  Beautiful !  "  exclaimed  Christie.  "  That's  a  queer 
word  to  use  in  speaking  of  a  man." 

"  You  won't  think  so  when  you  see  him.  He  is 
not  like  anybody  else  ;  and  you  can't  talk  of  him  in 
the  same  way." 

The  girl's  only  reply  was  a  slight  movement  of  the 
head,  as  though  she  were  thinking  that  she  scarcely 
expected  to  be  overwhelmed,  no  matter  what  degree 
of  beauty  she  encountered.  Poor  child  !  she  little 
knew  with  what  she  was  measuring  herself ;  that  her 
chance  was  that  of  a  kitten  within  stroke  of  a  lion's 
paw. 

Dinner  was  served  ;  and  the  brothers  stood  in  the 
dining-room,  when  the  girls  came  laughing  down 
stairs,  and  entered  the  apartment. 

Just  before  they  crossed  the  threshold,  Maria,  who 
was  in  front,  said,  — 

"  Here  is  Reginald :  now  you  will  see  him."  And 
Christie  stepped  forward,  intending  to  greet  him  as 
freely  and  frankly  by  name  as  she  had  done  the 

• 

others. 

He  was  standing  rather  apart  from  the  rest,  the 
gas-light  blazing  upon  him,  —  a  position  he  had  de- 
liberately chosen. 

The  girl  gave  one  eager,  upward  look  at  him,  and 
then  suddenly  stood  still ;  while  the  unsophisticated 
little  creature's  eyes  grew  larger  and  larger  with  in- 
effable astonishment. 


REGINALD  ARCHER  .      75 

Reginald  smiled,  partly  to  himself,  and  partly  upon 
her.  He  had  seen  too  many  worldly  women  dazzled 
by  his  splendor  not  to  think  its  present  effect  quite 
natural  upon  an  inexperienced  girl :  he  was  too  well 
accustomed  to  it  to  be  even  flattered.  He  consid- 
ered this  hop-o-my-thumb  very  small  game ;  but 
its  acquisition  was  necessary  to  him,  and  he  was 
well  pleased  with  the  success  of  his  initial  step.  The 
second  after  she  paused,  he  came  forward  with  out- 
stretched hand,  and  said  pleasantly,  indicating  that 
her  hesitation  had  been  caused  by  imagining  him  a 
stranger,  — 

"  I  am  entirely  forgotten  by  Miss  Macalaster,  I 
suppose.  If  so,  I  appeal  from  her  to  the  Christie  of 
other  days,  who,  I  feel  sure,  will  acknowledge  me  as 
an  old  friend." 

She  gave  him  her  hand,  glancing  shyly  at  him, 
while  the  bright  color  flushed  over  her  face ;  and 
said,  with  a  quaint  reserve  in  her  manner,  — 

"  You  have  changed  more  than  any  of  your  family, 
Mr.  Archer ;  and  I  confess  I  should  not  have  known 
you.  I  don't  recognize  at  all  the  boy  I  used  to 
know." 

The  thought  of  her  intention  to  call  that  mag- 
nificent individual  by  his  Christian  name  would  have 
horrified  her,  had  she  even  remembered  it. 

"  Then  I  am  so  unfortunate  as  not  to  be  able  to 


76    •  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

appeal  to  the  past  for  aid  :  so  I  shall  have  to  begin 
anew,  and  make  friends  with  Miss  Macalaster." 
And  he  put  out  his  hand  gayly,  and  took  hers  again, 
as  though  welcoming  a  new  acquaintance.  "  But 
I  warn  you  that  I  shall  claim  a  double  measure  of 
friendship  from  her  to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  her 
predecessor." 

He  softly  held  her  hand  for  a  moment  longer  than 
was  necessary,  bowing  over  it  with  an  exquisite  grace 
which  had  enchanted  women  immeasurably  beyond 
Christie  Macalaster  in  strength,  and  knowledge  of  life. 

As  he  lifted  his  head,  he  caught  his  brother's  eyes, 
and  saw  in  them  just  the  expression  they  had  held 
when  Christie's  name  had  first  been  mentioned  in  that 
room  months  before.  Again  Tom  had  recognized 
his  purpose,  and  again  it  had  filled  him  with  disgust 
and  indignation.  He  did  not  analyze  his  emotions : 
but  he  saw  innocent  helplessness  within  the  power 
of  malign  strength  ;  and,  more  than  ever,  the  child  he 
had  loved  seemed  calling  upon  him  to  protect  her. 

Reginald  placed  Christie  between  Tom  and  him- 
self, and  undertook  the  task  of  her  entertainment, 
quietly  conquering  her  shyness  towards  himself.  His 
manner  was  truly  perfect ;  so  unaffected,  so  almost 
boyish  in  its  fresh,  genial  ease,  that,  even  when  he 
fell  into  fine  speeches,  they  sounded  natural  from  his 
lips.  It  was  impossible  to  realize  that  Art  had  any 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  77 

thing  to  do  with  what  seemed  a  triumph  of  Nature's 
handiwork.  Too  profoundly,  placidly  self-satisfied 
for  self-consciousness,  which  is  the  outward  evi- 
dence of  secret  self-doubt,  his  mind  always  seemed 
full  of  you,  instead  of  himself.  Too  well  accustomed 
to  his  own  beauty  and  grace  to  remember  them 
definitely,  you  were  constantly  crediting  him  with 
singular  modesty  and  forbearance  in  apparently  for- 
getting that  which  it  was  impossible  for  you  to  forget : 
you  mentally  gave  him  humble  thanks  for  not  openly 
triumphing  in  a  loveliness  which  held  you  in  bondage 
even  against  your  will ;  which  subjugated  you  afresh 
each  moment  by  some  fresh  phase.  With  a  right  to 
overweening  vanity,  it  was  no  small  element  of  his 
fascination  that  no  shade  of  it  appeared  in  his  man- 
ner :  even  in  his  early  days,  when  his  inward  elation 
must  have  had  the  force  of  novelty,  you  would  have 
searched  in  vain  for  outward  evidence  of  it.  Thus, 
as  Tom  watched  him,  he  could  find  no  flaw  in  his 
brother's  armor :  his  acute  intellect  compelled  him  to 
share  the  girl's  admiration  for  the  man's  outward 
seeming. 

Christie  answered  Reginald's  remarks  as  easily  and 
brightly  as  she  could ;  but  the  shyness  remained.  He 
understood  its  cause,  and  was  well  satisfied  with  it. 
She  had  evidently  set  him  upon  a  pedestal ;  and  he 
knew  the  advantages  of  the  position  too  well  to  wish 


78  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

to  descend,  and  looked  upon  her  unwonted  diffidence 
as  a  point  gained. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  girl  kept  turning  to  Tom,  — 
taking  refuge  with  him,  as  it  were  ;  drawing  him  into 
the  conversation  as  some  one  with  whom  she  was  per- 
fectly at  home.  All  her  mild  little  sallies  were  ad- 
dressed to  him  :  she  made  gay  attempts  at  repartee, 
and  had  all  her  abilities  under  her  control  in  speaking 
to  him.  Her  manner  and  tone  changed  so  completely, 
that  she  seemed  two  different  persons  -in  talking  to 
the  two  men. 

Tom  talked,  and  talked  well ;  in  fact,  with  a  shrewd 
wit,  an  insight  and  originality,  which  were  beyond  the 
inexperienced  girl's  comprehension.  Had  she  been  a 
broad-natured  woman  of  talent,  with  a  deep,  wide 
knowledge  of  men,  she  would  have  turned  from  the 
gracious  gentleman  on  the  one  hand,  to  the  strong, 
virile  nature  on  the  other,  —  choosing,  as  one  might, 
between  cloying  sweet  and  appetizing  salt ;  she  would 
have  perceived  instantly  that  Tom's  conversation  ex- 
ceeded Reginald's  in  matter  as  far  as  his  brother's 
excelled  his  in  manner.  But  Christie  was  much  too 
young  for  such  clear-sightedness :  and  indeed  I  fancy 
that  in  early  life  we  all  prefer  confectionery ;  that  a 
taste  for  sugar-plums  in  every  form  is  indissoluble 
from  extreme  youth.  In  persons  naturally  constituted 
and  developed,  maturity  is  required  to  appreciate  and 


REGINALD    ARCHER.  79 

enjoy  the  strong  meat  of  the  word.  At,,  a  certain 
age,  the  mental  digestion  rejects  genuine  humor,  and 
vigorous,  sinewy  statement ;  just  as  the  physical  pal- 
ate has  no  relish  for  rare  roast-beef  and  dry  wine. 
One  almost  imagines  that  a  liking  for  good  sense  is 
an  acquired  taste,  not  to  be  gained  before  a  given  age 
or  without  a  given  discipline.  Consequently,  all  that 
gave  Tom's  conversation  its  extraordinary  merit  fell 
upon  ears  unfitted  to  perceive  it ;  at  least,  as  far  as 
Christie  was  concerned. 

With  Reginald  it  was  quite  the  reverse.  As  usual, 
he  delighted  in  his  brother's  talking  ;  answering,  and 
draAving  him  out,  as  was  his  wont.  Between  his  at- 
tentions of  such  different  kinds,  he  was  like  a  juggler 
who  keeps  two  balls  flying  in  the  air  ;  one  hand 
fondling  Christie,  while  the  other  fenced  with  Tom. 
Thus  he  passed  a  most  agreeable  .evening.  The  girl, 
as  he  well  knew,  would  have  failed  to  hold  him  in- 
terested for  that  length  of  time ;  but  being  mentally 
excited  by  some  one  else,  and  having  made  very  satis- 
factory progress  towards  the  end  he  had  in  view,  he 
went  up  stairs  that  night  in  perfect  humor  with  him- 
self and  others. 

"  She'll  do  very  well,"  he  coolly  thought.  "  She  is 
not  brilliant  or  imposing,  to  be  sure  ;  but  she  is  ex- 
tremely pretty,  and  her  eyes  and  eyelashes  would  be 
worth  looking  at  in  anybody.  She's  a  refined  little 


80  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

creature,  %nd  I  shall  never  be  ashamed  of  her ;  which 
is  very  foBtunate,  as  I  should  have  felt  obliged  to 
swallow  her,  no  matter  how  unpalatable  a  morsel  she 
had  been.  I  have  had  a  lifelong  horror  that  I  should 
be  compelled,  in  the  end,  to  marry  an  ugly  woman,  or, 
what  is  infinitely  worse,  an  underbred  one ;  though  I 
don't  think  I  could  have  survived  that.  Christie 
lacks  style  fearfully ;  but  I  can  train  her  to  it.  I  shall 
tire  of  her  terribly  in  a  few  weeks ;  but  that  would  be 
the  case  no  matter  what  sort  of  woman  I  married," 
he  candidly  admitted  to  himself.  "  I  a.m  only  thank- 
ful that  she  has  so  many  advantages ;  and,  upon  the 
whole,  she  will  do  very  well,"  he  added,  ending  where 
he  had  begun. 

Settling  this  matter,  he  went  off  into  that  balmy 
sleep  which  seems  to  prove,  in  such  men,  the  superior- 
ity of  a  good  digestion  over  a  good  conscience.  In  the 
long-run,  and  at  the  final  settlement,  a  well-ordered 
conscience  may  probably  prove  the  best  investment ; 
but,  for  the  present,  a  well-conditioned  liver  certainly 
appears  the  true  secret  of  happiness  and  comfort.  It 
seems  the  real  seat  of  sensation ;  and  there  is  force 
in  the  view  of  existence  taken  by  the  dyspeptic,  who, 
for  the  future  state,  desired  rather  a  new  liver  than  a 
new  heart.  Lord  Byron  said  he  "  was  as  good  a  Chris- 
tian as  his  stomach  would  let  him  be ; "  but  upon 
that  point  one  might  claim  leave  to  disagree  with  his 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  81 

lordship,  as  there  are  a  goodly  number  of  dyspeptics 
on  record  who  differ  strikingly  from  the  noble  lord  in 
moral  character. 

In  Reginald's  case,  health  really  was,  for  this  world, 
like  faith,  "  counted  to  him  for  righteousness ;  "  mak- 
ing him  better  tempered  than  many  better  men.  Es- 
caping all  pangs  of  conscience  by  possessing  none,  his 
perfect  constitution  saved  him  from  physical  qualms, 
which  would  have  disturbed  and  might  have  checked 
him.  As  it  was,  he  possessed  the  double  power  of 
sinning  like  a  man,  and  sleeping  like  an  animal ;  and 
he  passed  the  night  in  a  sweet  repose,  which  his 
brother  Tom,  excited  and  troubled,  could  not  gain, 
and  would  have  sincerely  envied. 

"  Maria,"  exclaimed  Christie  as  the  other  bade  her 
good-night,  "  I  am  so  very,  very  glad  I  came  !  "  And 
the  enthusiastic  girl  threw  her  arms  around  her 
friend,  and  kissed  her  again  and  again. 

Her  eyes  were  shining,  and  her  cheeks  glowing 
with  a  strange,  new  life  ;  while  her  heart  and  blood 
throbbed  with  a  tumultuous  sense  of  pleasure  as  be- 
wildering as  it  was  unwonted.  A  fresh  element  had 
entered  her  quiet,  girlish  existence  ;  and  she  under- 
stood neither  it  nor  its  effect.  She  tossed  restlessly 
in  bed  for  an  hour  or  two  before  carrying  her  dream 
of  happiness  from  her  waking  to  her  sleeping  mo- 
ments, —  a  dream,  alas !  baseless  in  both. 

4* 


CHAPTER  V. 

AS  that  first  evening  passed,  so,  in  varied  forms, 
passed  each  evening  of  the  following  month. 

To  the  delight  of  his  sisters,  Reginald  made  his  ap- 
pearance every  day  at  the  dinner-table,  and  remained 
in  the  house  until  the  ladies  retired  for  the  night ; 
then  away  to  the  club,  or  elsewhere,  to  stretch 
morally,  as  it  were,  after  the  restraint  he  had  im- 
posed upon  himself. 

Christie's  mourning  precluding  her  from  outside 
entertainment,  the  family  devoted  itself  to  her  amuse- 
ment ;  while  Reginald  gave  his  time  and  attention 
to  the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose.  Concerning 
the  morning-hours,  he  acted  with  his  usual  perfect 
tact.  After  the  first  day  or  two,  when  he  had  made 
the  desired  impression,  and  satisfied  himself  that  lie 
had  gained  an  immeasurable  start  in  the  race,  he 
ceased  to  breakfast  with  the  rest  of  the  family. 

"  I'll  give  Tom  a  chance,  especially  as  it  can  be  of 
no  use  to  him,"  Reginald  thought,  laughing  to  him- 
self. "  The  foolish  fellow  has  tumbled  over  head 

82 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  83 

and  ears  in  love  with  that  child ;  though  I  doubt  if  he 
knows  it  himself.  Tom  is  so  plucky,  that  you  can 
scarcely  tell  how  hard  he  is  hit ;  but  the  sharp  pain 
will  look  out  of  his  eyes  sometimes,  when  Christie  is 
gazing  up  at  me  as  though  I  were  a  great  shining 
angel  come  down  for  her  special  benefit.  Some- 
how, I  find  I  am  generally  regarded  as  an  angel,  — 
from  one  direction  or  the  other,"  he  meditated,  gaz- 
ing reflectively  at  his  image  in  the  full-length  club 
mirror  to  see  from  what  the  impression  was  gathered. 
"  I  am  sorry  Tom  is  going  to  make  a  fool  of  himself 
about  this  matter,"  he  thought,  coming  back  to  the 
original  subject ;  "  but  I  suppose  it  can't  be  helped. 
I  can't  afford  to  have  him  working  to  defeat  me, 
though  :  so  I  will  throw  him  off  the  scent  by  appar- 
ently letting  him  have  his  own  way.  I'll  cast  a  sop 
to  Cerebus,  and  allow  him  to  have  Christie  to  him- 
self over  the  breakfast-table." 

Consequently,  the  sun  always  shone  for  Tom  in 
the  morning,  let  the  weather  be  what  it  might. 
Christie  would  come-down  stairs  rosy  and  bright, 
and  chatter  to  him  over  his  morning-meal  until  he 
tasted  her  sweetness  in  every  morsel,  and  drank  from 
his  cup  an  elation  far  more  subtile  than  Mocha  can 
give.  At  such  times  she  was  so  thoroughly  a  part  of 
his  home,  so  near  and  dear  to  him,  that  he  forgot  his 
brother,  and  ceased  to  fear  for  her.  He  was  iiot  yet 


84  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

conscious  that  he  was  in  love  with  her  ;  but  she 
seemed  to  belong  to  him  too  completely  for  any 
one  to  dream  of  taking  her  away,  or  to  dare  at- 
tempt it. 

Yet  with  Reginald's  coming,  and  the  falling  of 
night,  the  old  shadow  would  surely  appear ;  in 
which  would  gather  darkly,  and  take  form,  like  a 
spectre,  his  dread  of  his  brother  and  of  the  future. 
Had  he  been  aware  of  the  exact  truth,  his  pain  and 
fear  would  not  have  been  reserved  for  the  latter  part 
of  the  day  ;  but  he  did  not  know,  that  as  soon  as 
he  left  the  house,  carrying  with  him  a  vague,  sweet 
happiness,  which  made  all  things,  even  the  drudgery 
of  his  business,  a  pleasure  to  him,  Reginald  de- 
scended to  receive  his  share  of  the  feast,  spiritual 
and  material.  Of  course,  he  demanded  that  Christie 
should  do  for  him  what  she  had  done  for  Tom,  — 
should  sit  by  him,  and  entertain  him  ;  should  perform 
pleasant  little  table-offices  for  him :  all  of  which  she 
did  with  a  very  different  feeling  and  manner  from 
the  kindly  gayety  with  which  she  had  served  the 
elder  brother.  They  would  linger  over  the  meal 
for  hours,  which  seemed  to  Christie  like  enchanted 
•moments ;  and  the  girl  had  fallen  so  completely 
under  his  fascination,  that  she  would  remain  indefi- 
nitely at  his  bidding,  until  Maria  was  sometimes 
forced  to  order  them  good-naturedly  out  of  the 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  85 

room,  that  the  household  arrangements  might  pro- 
ceed. 

Then  Reginald  would  take  Christie  and  Ellen  to 
walk  through  the  gay  streets  or  through  the  pleas- 
ant suburbs  ;  but,  let  the  road  or  the  place  be  what 
it  would,  Christie  walked  in  a  lovely  fairyland,  which 
shone  with  a  glory  and  light  beyond  the  splendor  of 
the  sun. 

Lloyd  Truxton,  Reginald's  double,  was  usually 
attached  to  these  expeditions.  To  his  care  Ellen 
was  committed ;  this  enabling  Reginald  to  devote 
himself  to  Christie. 

Tom  heard  of  these  walks  but  rarely,  through 
Ellen's  vague  mention,  which  was  too  indefinite  to 
arrest  his  attention.  Reginald  had  his  own  reasons 
for  not  bringing  them  to  his  brother's  notice  ;  and  as 
for  Christie,  she  could  not  have  forced  herself  to  speak 
of  them.  She  was  too  delicately  refined,  and  too 
thoroughly  a  woman,  to  be  able  to  talk  of  her  love,  or 
any  thing  connected  with  it.  The  charm  of  those 
weeks  was  hidden  deep  in  her  heart,  only  to  be 
brought  out  in  secret  in  the  long,  still  watches  of  the 
night,  for  her  own  blushing  delight.  Thus  Tom 
remained  ignorant  of  much  that  was  happening 
around  him :  he  lost  a  knowledge  of  facts  which 
might  have  spared  him,  in  some  degree,  the  terrible 


86  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

shock  which  was  coming  upon  him.  Had  he  known 
all,  the  blow,  hard  and  cruel  as  it  must  have  been 
under  any  circumstances,  could  scarcely  have  been 
such  a  thunderbolt. 

One  growing  change  Tom  noticed  in  Christie, 
without  definitely  tracing  it  to  its  source.  The 
girl's  appearance  of  extreme  youth  arose  not  so  much 
from  her  size  and  soft  outline  as  from  the  expression 
of  her  eyes.  It  was  a  child's  utterly  unawakened 
soul  and  heart  that  looked  out  of  them.  They  were 
all  smile  and  shine  on  the  surface  ;  but  their  clear 
depths  were  destitute  of  any  variety  of  thought  or 
emotion.  The  girl's  nature  had  the  blankness,  as 
well  as  the  fair  whiteness,  of  an  unwritten  page. 
Growing  up  in  perfect  seclusion,  she  had  the  expe- 
rience neither  of  feeling  nor  observation.  But  Tom 
noticed  an  alteration  in  those  eyes.  They  had  be- 
come capable  of  other  changes  than  from  smiles  to 
frowns.  A  soft  light  had  grown  into  them,  like  the 
illumination  from  some  hidden,  happy  thought :  the 
new-born  heart  of  the  woman  was  casting  its  reflec- 
tion into  them  ;  and  you  saw  how  warm  and  true  and 
pure  was  its  image.  The  infinite  variety  of  ex- 
pression which  was  one  day  to  be  their  highest  beau- 
ty, Christie's  eyes  were,  as  yet,  far  from  possessing. 
The  soul,  like  the  body,  can  only  come  into  existence 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  87 

through  travail ;  and  sorrow  and  trial  and  anguish 
had  not  yet  wrought  in  her  that  spiritual  birth. 
What  Tom  perceived  in  her  was  the  bright  dawn  of 
a  new  day.  That  which  its  meridian  would  bring 
forth,  or  its  evening  light  and  shadow  disclose,  was 
as  darkly  hidden  in  the  future  from  him  as  from 
her. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

riTlHE  month  had  quickly  flown  by  ;  and  Reginald 
•JL  had  begun  to  weary  of  the  work  he  had  set 
himself,  to  which  he  had  at  first  applied  himself  with 
some  interest.  He  had  read  Christie's  heart  with 
the  ease  of  a  man  who  was  familiar  with  every  lan- 
guage into  which  emotions  can  be  translated ;  and  he 
felt  certain  of  the  result.  He  considered  that  he  had 
now  served  long  enough  for  his  wages,  and  that  they 
ought  to  be  paid  him.  His  creditors  had  become 
more  pressing  than  ever,  and  he  felt  that  what  he 
had  to  do  he  had  best  do  quickly.  The  apple  being 
perfectly  ripe,  it  behooved  him  to  pluck  it  as  speedily 
as  possible. 

Consequently,  entering  the  house  late  one  after- 
noon, and  catching  sight  of  Christie  standing  alone 
in  the  parlor,  he  coolly  resolved  to  bring  matters  to  a 
close  on  the  spot. 

The  girl  had  come  in  from  a  walk,  with  her  hands 
full  of  beautiful  flowers  she  had  purchased ;  and 
while  Ellen,  her  companion,  had  passed  on  up  stairs, 

88 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  89 

she  had  entered  the  drawing-room,  and  was  placing 
the  gay  blossoms  in  vases  as  a  pleasant  surprise  to 
Maria.  Reginald  saw  instantly  that  she  was  looking 
even  prettier  than  usual.  He  was  thankful,  as  ren- 
dering his  task  so  much  the  easier;  though  love- 
making  was,  with  him,  too  wonted  an  occupation  ever 
to  be  difficult  work.  Exercise  had  brought  the 
bright  color  into  her  cheeks ;  and,  having  thrown 
aside  her  hat,  the  little  curls  into  which  the  wind 
had  blown  her  hair  were  left  visible. 

Reginald  came  softly  behind  her,  and  spoke  her 
name  before  she  knew  any  one  was  near  her,  though 
she  had  heard  some  one  enter  the  front-door.  She 
started  slightly,  though  she  did  not  turn  ;  but  the 
deep  blush  which  dyed  her  face,  and  even  her  throat, 
showed  that  she  well  knew  who  was  speaking. 

"  Christie,  are  you  afraid  of  me?"  Reginald  said, 
softly  laughing  in  answer  to  her  movement,  bending 
over  her  shoulder  as  she  bent  her  hot  face  over  the 
flowers. 

"  No,  no,"  she  replied  nervously,  turning  partially 
towards  him. 

"  Let  me  see  if  you  are  telling  the  truth,"  he  went 
on :  and,  gently  touching  her  face,  he  drew  it  upward 
until  he  could  loot  straight  down  into  it  with  those 
wonderful  eyes  which  had  beguiled  so  many  women 
to  their  ruin ;  for  love  of  which  they  had  sacrificed 


90  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

all  that  is  worth  possessing  in  this  world  or  the  next,  — 
honor  and  purity  here,  and  salvation  hereafter.  No 
wonder  she  gazed  at  him,  not  only  as  though  her  free 
will,  but  her  very  life,  were  being  drawn  from  her. 

Reginald  resolved  to  make  short  work.  He  put 
his  arm  about  the  unresisting  girl,  and  drew  her  to 
his  breast. 

"  My  darling,"  he  whispered,  "if  you  truly  are  not 
afraid  of  me,  will  you  trust  yourself  with  me  forever  ? 
Will  you  be  my  little  wife  ?  " 

Had  he  really  loved  her,  could  his  tones  have  been 
so  exquisitely  musical  ?  Could  aught  but  perfect 
coolness  and  infinite  practice  have  enabled  him  to 
modulate  his  voice  to  such  lingering  tenderness  ;  to 
convey  such  a  world  of  meaning  in  every  word  ? 

The  sudden,  almost  unconscious  relaxation  of  the 
figure  in  his  arms,  the  absolute  surrender  of  body 
and  soul  which  it  expressed  beyond  the  power  of 
words,  gave  Reginald  the  answer  he  wished. 

"  My  precious  love,  my  darling  wife ! "  he  mur- 
mured in  return,  pressing  her  close  to  the  calm 
heart,  which  never  altered  its  beat  for  a  second,  but 
speaking  again  with  that  intonation  which  thrilled 
the  girl  to  actual  pain. 

She  clung  to  him  passionately  for  a  moment,  giving 
mute  reply,  and  mutely  expressing  all  the  immeasura- 
ble love  which  was  throbbing  through  her  heart  and 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  91 

coursing  through  her  veins,  and  then  hid  her  face 
more  closely  than  ever  in  his  breast.  He  stooped,  and 
kissed  her  again  and  again ;  deriving  a  very  pleasant 
sensation  from  the  dewy  ripeness  of  the  lips  and  the 
outlines  of  the  supple  young  form.  The  feeling  that 
he  had  gained  the  money  and  accompanying  power  he 
had  always  coveted  excited  him  like  wine.  He  was 
triumphant,  as  a  man  who  had  reached  the  aim  of  his 
life.  He  had  won,  and  was  in  the  best  possible  humor 
with  himself,  with  her,  and  with  all  the  world. 

Suddenly  the  sound  of  a  latch-key  in  the  front- 
door broke  the  stillness. 

"  That's  Tom  !  "  Reginald  exclaimed ;  and  the  situ- 
ation flashed  upon  him. 

He  resolved  in  an  instant  to  meet  and  brave  it  then 
and  there.  What  must  be  done  eventually  had  best 
be  done  on  the  moment.  His  plan  would  extricate 
him  neatly  from  his  present  position,  which  he  felt 
would  soon  bore  him ;  would  relieve  him  from  the 
ennui  of  playing  the  part  of  lover  and  engaged  man 
for  the  evening ;  would  obviate  the  nuisance  of  ex- 
plaining the  affair  to  his  sisters ;  and,  above  all, 
would  carry  him  swiftly  through  the  announcement 
which  must  be  made  to  his  brother. 

"  Good-by,  dearest !  "  he  said,  kissing  her.  "  I  had 
better  go  now ;  but  I  will  see  you  to-morrow  morning. 
I  will  tell  Tom  of  our  engagement  as  I  go  out." 
And,  turning,  he  left  her. 


92  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

Tom  had  taken  off  his  hat,  and  was  walking  down 
the  hall,  when  he  saw  Reginald  coming  towards  him, 
not  only  with  his  accustomed  imperial  bearing,  but 
with  such  a  light  in  his  eyes,  and  smile  curving  his 
perfect  lips,  such  triumph  and  security  radiating  from 
every  line  of  his  beauty,  that  the  truth  broke  upon 
Tom  like  a  revelation. 

Then  he  knew  by  the  awful  pain  at  his  heart,  as 
though  some  hand  had  clutched  it  and  was  tearing  it 
from  his  body,  that  he  loved  Christie  Macalaster 
with  all  his  strong,  long-restrained  nature ;  with  the 
height  and  depth  and  breadth  of  a  passion  only  pos- 
sible in  that  rare,  exceptionally-powerful  man  who  can 
love  one  woman,  and  her  alone  for  life.  This  he 
learned,  and,  in  learning  it,  knew  also  that  he  had  lost 
her  forever. 

He  stood  perfectly  still,  and  awaited  his  brother's 
coming,  and  the  words  he  could  almost  see  upon  his 
lips,  as  a  brave  man  might  stand  to  receive  his  exe- 
cutioner and  his  death-blow. 

Reginald's  keen  perception  showed  him  instantly 
that  his  brother  had  perceived  the  truth ;  showed  him 
also  what  that  truth  was  to  him.  A  sentiment  almost 
like  human  regret  passed  through  his  mind,  though  it 
did  not  accord  with  his  plans  to  let  it  become  very 
evident  in  his  manner. 

"Torn,"  he  said  gayly,  facing  his  brother's  resolute 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  93 

eyes  with  some  of  the  same  cool  gallantry  with  which 
he  would  have  charged  a  battery  of  guns,  "  Christie 
has  promised  to  marry  me ;  and  you  shall  have  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  to  congratulate  me." 

Tom  waited  a  moment  until  the  horrible  pain  should 
allow  the  breath  to  come  back  to  his  lips.  Then  he 
spoke, —  a  little  slowly,  but  just  as  steadily  as  ever. 

"  Reginald,"  he  answered,  "  I  can  give  you  no  con- 
gratulations, and  you  know  it.  There  is  no  use  in  our 
lying  to  each  other.  Christie  had  better  be  in  her 
grave  than  become  your  wife  ;  and  no  one  is  so  well 
aware  of  it  as  yourself.  You  have  taken  her  from  me : 
but  take  care  how  you  treat  her ;  for,  by  God !  as  you 
deal  with  her,  so  will  I  deal  with  you." 

"  Tom,"  replied  the  other,  "  I  am  sorry  for  you ; 
and  I  regret,  that,  in  this  particular  contest,  two  can- 
not come  off  conquerors.  But  you  really  ought  to 
have  known  better  than  to  attempt  to  play  against 
me.  It  was  an  open  game ;  and  I  am  the  winner, 
At  your  service  !  "  And,  taking  up  his  hat,  he  made 
his  brother  a  superb  bow,  and  passed  out  of  the 
house. 

The  sound  of  their  voices  could  be  heard  in  the 
parlor,  but  not  the  words  spoken ;  and  these  two 
men  alone  knew,  then  or  thereafter,  what  had  passed 
between  them. 

A  moment  after,  Christie's  figure  flitted  through 


94  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

the  parlor-door,  and  came  swiftly  towards  Tom,  with, 
glowing  eyes  and  blushing  face,  and  eager  hands 
extended  to  him.  This  motherless,  fatherless  child, 
whose  very  lover  had  not  cared  to  receive  the  sweet 
overflowing  of  her  tenderness  upon  his  breast ;  who 
had  not  one  of  her  own  blood  to  whom  to  turn  in 
depth  of  sorrow,  or  height  of  joy,  —  this  girl,  so  rich 
in  gold,  and  so  poor  in  all  else,  demanded  some  out- 
let for  the  tide  of  feeling  that  was  within  her,  and 
claimed  as  confidant  the  first  kindly  nature  near  her. 
With  the  strange  sarcasm  of  circumstances,  she 
turned  with  unconscious  cruelty  to  the  one  heart 
which  loved  her  but  too  well.  Coming  up  to  the 
man,  she  threw  her  arms  about  him  with  the  frank- 
ness of  a  child,  but  with  the  passion  of  a  woman. 

"  Tom,  dear  Tom  !  "  she  cried,  her  voice  vibrating 
with  the  weight  of  unutterable  happiness,  "  he  says 
he  loves  me  ! " 

She  could  scarcely  realize  her  own  blessedness  :  it 
seemed  too  wonderful  to  be  true  ;  as,  alas !  it  was. 

Tom  stood  like  a  stone,  his  teeth  set,  and  every 
muscle  tense  and  rigid.  He  knew  to  whom  this 
warm,  clinging  embrace  really  belonged  ;  he  knew 
whence  its  fire  and  sweetness  were  drawn ;  and  he 
sickened  and  grew  faint  at  the  thought.  He  would 
share  this  with  no  man :  all,  or  nothing ;  his,  and  his 
alone,  or  he  would  none  of  it.  He  would  stand  as 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  95 

proxy  to  no  one.  Let  Reginald  take  his  own  kisses  : 
he  scorned  and  flung  them  back  even  from  the  wo- 
man he  adored.  The  refinement  of  torture  was  too 
much.  He  look  the  little  hands  from  about  his  neck, 
and,  firmly  holding  them  in  his  own,  put  her  at  arm's- 
length. 

"  Tom,"  she  said  piteously,  "  you  don't  love  me  ; 
you  don't  wish  me  joy !  " 

She  was  pushing  him  too  far:  it  was  more  than 
human  nature  could  endure. 

"  Christie,"  he  exclaimed  in  desperation,  "  I  pray 
God  to  give  you  all  the  joy  he  can  bestow !  My 
darling,  my  darling !  "  he  suddenly  cried  out,  break- 
ing down  entirely  before  those  appealing  eyes,  "I 
pray  that  he  may  love  you  and  protect  you  as  I  never 
can!" 

His  strong  will  was  swept  utterly  away.  He 
caught  the  girl  in  his  arms,  and  tasted,  for  one  wild, 
sweet  moment,  that  bliss  of  living  and  loving  from 
which  he  seemed  parting  forever.  The  touch  of  her 
hands,  the  curves  of  her  form,  the  softness  of  her 
cheek,  the  sweeping  lashes  and  falling  hair,  thrilled 
his  blood  and  bones  with  a  mad  joy  that  was  the  very 
elixir  of  life.  What  could  Reginald's  bald,  worn 
being  know  of  passion,  compared  to  this  nature, 
which  united  the  fresh,  pure  vigor  of  a  boy  to  the 
deep,  broad  maturity  of  a  strong  man.  Tom's  na- 


96  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

ture  was  capable  of  a  fire,  of  an  intensity  of  enjoy- 
ment, which  Reginald  had  never  experienced ;  his 
senses  brought  him  gifts  and  pleasures  for  which 
the  other  sighed  in  vain.  He  tasted  th'e  fulness  of 
this  joy  so  completely,  that,  for  a  moment,  he  forgot 
it  was  not  to  be  his. 

But  the  bitter  truth  came  back  upon  him  full  soon. 
For  a  second  tune  he  put  the  girl  steadily  from  him, 
and  gathered  his  nature  again  within  his  grasp. 

So  young  and  inexperienced  was  she,  and,  above 
all,  so  absorbed  in  her  new-found  love  and  happiness, 
that  she  entirely  failed  to  interpret  his  emotion  and 
its  changes.  He  had  kissed  her  as  though  he  loved  ' 
her ;  and  she  was  satisfied,  never  dreaming  of  ana- 
lyzing the  quantity  of  his  affection.  To  her  he  was 
the  dear  friend  of  her  childhood,  and,  above  all, 
Reginald's  brother.  All  persons  and  things  pertain- 
ing to  her  splendid  lover  were  exalted  in  her  eyes  ; 
and  she  emphasized  her  relation  to  them,  as  bringing 
her  nearer  to  him.  It  was  this  feeling  which  dic- 
tated her  next  words. 

"You  will  be  my  brother,  then,  Tom,  my  dear 
brother,  when  I  belong  to  Reginald !  " 

He  looked  straight  at  her,  still  holding  her  at  arm's- 
length ;  but  his  face  suddenly  changed  and  shrank, 
as  though  the  words  had  been  a  blow.  The  sentence 
and  the  epithet  carried  a  different  meaning  and  les- 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  97 

son  to  him  from  that  she  had  intended.  Even  in 
that  moment  of  bitterest  trial,  he  was  man  enough 
to  know  his  duty,  and  to  do  it.  Then  and  there  he 
made  a  vow  to  God,  which  he  kept  faithfully  until 
death  absolved  him. 

"  Christie,"  he  said  slowly,  "  you  have  said  it :  I 
will  be  your  brother.  Remember  that,  if  you  ever 
need  me ;  for  I  shall  never  forget  it." 

Then  he  dropped  her  hands,  and  walked  up  stairs 
without  another  word. 

The  girl  stood  for  a  moment  with  that  beautiful 
smile  of  ineffable  happiness  upon  her  lips ;  and  then, 
all  other  recollection  being  swallowed  up  in  her 
great  joy,  she  stole  away  to  Maria  and  Ellen  to  con- 
fide it  to  them,  and  to  receive  her  warm  welcome  as 
their  sister. 

5 


CHAPTER   VII. 

TOM  entered  his  room,  and,  turning  the  key  in 
the  door,  sat  quietly  down,  determined  to  settle 
this  matter  with  himself. 

"  Her  brother !  "  —  that  was  the  word  which  kept 
repeating  itself  in  his  brain  ;  that  was  the  standpoint 
from  which  he  compelled  himself  to  look  at  every 
fact  and  feeling  as  it  arose  before  him.  In  spite  of 
the  horrible  pain  at  his  heart,  which  never  ceased  for 
a  moment,  he  held  his  will  and  his  intellect  to  the 
work  of  deciding  his  course  apart  from  all  desire  or 
emotion. 

Knowing  what  he  did  of  Reginald  and  his  life,  and 
what  such  a  marriage  must  inevitably  bring  upon 
Christie,  ought  he  not  to  make  some  effort  to  prevent 
it?  That  was  the  question  he  had  to  settle,  and 
settle  immediately.  The  strength  of  the  temptation 
to  separate  at  any  cost  the  woman  he  loved  from  the 
man  he  hated  ;  the  fact  that  Reginald's  loss  would  be, 
in  a  certain  sense,  his  gain,  —  would  have  made  Tom 
resolve  to  cast  such  impulse  behind  him  as  savoring 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  99 

too  much  of  low  revenge  and  mean  cowardice,  except 
that,  in  this  case,  self  must  not  be  allowed  to  enter, 
however  disguised.  He  must  let  his  personal  feeling 
influence  him  no  more  on  one  side  than  the  other. 
Here  he  had  no  right  to  be  generous  towards  Regi- 
nald, and  self-denying  towards  himself,  if  the  result 
were  lack  of  justice  to  Christie. 

Yet,  reason  with  himself  as  he  would,  he  could  not 
help  revolting  from  the  work  whose  motive  might 
appear  so  mean :  he  could  not  but  sicken  at  the  pur- 
pose Reginald  would  probably  attribute  to  him  if  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  oppose  his  plans.  It  was  very 
hard  for  Tom  to  do  even  a  seemingly  ungenerous 
act :  it  was  almost  like  moral  death  to  him  even  to 
shade  that  sense  of  honor  which  he  had  kept  so  pure 
and  high,  that,  lilfe  all  his  strong  sentiments,  it  had 
become  a  passion.  Struggle  against  it  as  he  would, 
it  was  this  intense,  high-toned  pride  which  influenced 
him  in  the  end :  it  was  that,  at  least,  which  made 
him  perceive  so  clearly  all  the  arguments  against 
interference. 

"She  loves  him,"  thought  Tom  bitterly,  with  a 
thrill  through  every  nerve  as  he  remembered  the 
light  that  had  been  upon  the  girl's  face,  —  "  she  loves 
him  with  all  her  heart ;  and  what  can  mortal  man 
effect  against  that  power  ?  If  I  could  bring  myself  to 
tell  her  in  plain  terms  the  loathsome  truth,  she  would 


100  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

never  believe  me ;  still  less  would  she  comprehend 
me :  for  what  can  an  innocent  woman  know  of  such 
things,  and  their  inevitable  effect  ?  Pure  as  she  is, 
what  can  she  know  of  the  true  nature  of  sin?  No 
matter  what  I  told  her,  it  would  be  to  her  mere 
words  with  vague  dictionary  meanings.  She  is  too 

absolutely  unacquainted  with  evil  to  recognize  it  as 

i 

such  when  it  is  presented  to  her.  I  suppose  she 
would  dream  that  she  could  purify  and  save  him ;  as 
though  a  man  could  ever  be  raised  by  any  outside 
process  by  any  thing  but  '  working  out  his  own  salva- 
tion.' These  pitiable,  blessedly  ignorant  women  be- 
lieve, that  as  a  man  can  thrust  his  hand  in  filth,  and 
afterward  wash  it  white  and  clean,  he  can  dip  his 
soul  and  body  in  sin,  and  not  absorb  it  into  his  very 
essence.  My  God !  she  will  learn*differently  one  day, 
when  she  is  brought  into  contact  with  it,  and  is 
forced  to  see  and  know  the  truth.  I  don't  think 
Reginald  will  maltreat  her ;  I  don't  think  he  is  capa- 
ble of  that :  but  he  will  either  break  her  heart,  or  he 
will  degrade  her  nature  gradually  to  his  own  level. 
My  poor  little  darling,  my  poor  little  innocent  dar- 
ling ! "  the  man  moaned  out,  in  such  an  agony  of  pity, 
that  his  personal  pain  was  for  the  moment  forgotten. 
Tom  was  right  in  his  idea  that  he  could  not 
have  made  Christie  really  comprehend  Reginald's 
past  life.  A  perfectly  pure-minded  girl  who  has 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  101 

been  reared  in  an  innocent  home,  who  carries  about 
with  her  a  spiritual  atmosphere  into  which  evil  can- 
not enter,  has  not  the  power  to  take  in  or  understand 
the  actual  quality  of  wickedness.  To  talk  to  her  of 
such  things  is  to  speak  a  foreign  tongue  ;  and  the 
words  fail  to  convey  their  true  sense.  A  knowledge 
of  the  worst  side  of  life  may  be  forced  upon  a  woman, 
or  she  may  roll  impurity  as  a  sweet  morsel  under  her 
tongue ;  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil  may  be  held  to  shrinking,  recoiling  lips, 
or  to  those  which  long  after  and  seize  the  horrible 
tainted  food :  but  she  must  in  some  way  have  be- 
come acquainted  with  it  before  any  description  can 
appeal  to  her  perception  in  the  slightest  degree. 
That  dreadful  introduction  to  sin  -must  have  been 
undergone  before  she  can  recognize  it,  sadly  or  gladly 
as  it  may  be  in  her  nature  to  do.  When  Wordsworth 
sang  of  that  little  girl,  who,  though  she  had  seen  the 
graves  of  her  brothers  and  sisters,  could  not  take  in 
the  idea  of  death,  and  believed  that  they  seven  were 
still  an  unbroken  band;  when  the  great  poet  told 
that  simple  story,  he  conveyed  the  same  deep  princi- 
ple of  life,  —  that  we  have  but  the  ability  to  compre- 
hend that  which  in  some  degree  corresponds  to  our 
experience  and  our  nature.  Tom  knew  by  instinct 
that  he  could  no  more  teach  Christie  the  essential 
quality  of  evil  than  that  child  could  be  made  to 
realize  death  by  the  mere  telling. 


102  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

Still  further :  he  felt  that  he  could  never  make  his 
word  stand  with  her  against  that  of  her  lover ;  that 
what  he  could  affirm  Reginald  could  deny ;  and,  upon 
a  question  of  veracity,  he  knew  beforehand  which 
side  Christie  must  take.  The  more  he  scrutinized 
and  viewed  the  matter  in  every  light,  the  more  in- 
evitably he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  all  opposition 
was  useless,  and  worse  than  useless.  It  could  not 
be  his  duty  to  make  an  attempt  which  would  pain 
Christie  severely  without  benefiting'  her ;  which 
would  put  him  forever  in  a  false  position  towards  her, 
and  prevent  her  from  turning  to  him  in  that  time  of 
trial  which  he  felt  would  come  as  surely  as  that  the 
sun  rose  and  set. 

"  But  Reginald  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  control 
her  fortune,  and  to  squander  it,  as  he  is  quite  capable 
of  doing,"  Tom  suddenly  thought.  "  It  ought  to  be 
secured  to  her ;  and,  as  there  is  no  one  to  see  to  it, 
I  suppose  I  ought  to.  She  has  no  more  idea  of  money 
than  a  baby ;  and  I  can't  stand  by,  and  watch  her 
run  the  risk  of  being  beggared.  Reginald  always 
has  a  certain  respect  for  the  person  who  holds  the 
purse-strings ;  and  the  poor  child  will  need  that 
defence,  and  every  other,  when  she  is  in  his  power. 
I  suppose  all  I  shall  get  for  my  effort  will  be  that  she 
will  think  me  mean-spirited  and  mercenary  to  take 
such  things  into  consideration  at  such  a  time,  —  not 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  103 

at  all  like  her  romantic  lover,  who  is  far  too  fine  for 
such  commonplace  trifles  as  forethought  and  honesty 
and  justice,"  he  went  on  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
soul. 

"But  what  difference  can  it  make  now  as  to  what 
she  thinks  of  me  ?  Almost  any  one  can  act  the  part 
of  her  brother,  —  '  her  dear  brother,'  she  called  me." 
And  the  man's  blood  throbbed  and  tingled  to  his 
finger-ends  as  the  sensation  of  the  embrace  which 
had  preceded  her  words  came  suddenly  back  upon 
him  ;  but  the  warm  thrill  died  away,  leaving  the 
same  pain  at  his  heart,  —  a  pain  now  sunk  to  a  dull, 
sickening  ache,  worse  than  the  sharpest  pangs. 

Tom  rose  slowly  to  his  feet,  and  prepared  to  face 
again  his  ordinary  work- a- day  life,  —  with  what 
change  in  himself,  he  alone  knew.  He  had  settled  his 
account  between  conscience  and  circumstances  ;  he 
had  determined  on  his  own  line  of  conduct  from 
thenceforth;  and,  so  doing,  he  took  up  that  heavy 
burden  of  duty  which  he  bore  so  simply,  so  faith- 
fully, so  bravely,  until  death's  dread  hand  lifted  it 
from  his  weary  shoulders. 

Going  down  stairs  to  dinner,  he  had  to  undergo 
the  long-drawn  torture  of  listening  to  the  amplifica- 
tions of  pleasure  with  which  Maria  and  Ellen  over- 
flowed ;  still  worse,  he  had  to  endure  the  sight  of 
Christie  blushing,  and  casting  down  her  long  lashes 


104  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

in  her  vain  endeavor  to  hide  the  radiant  happiness 
that  beamed  in  her  eyes. 

Tom  bore  it  steadily  and  well,  as  he  sat,  only  rather 
quiet  and  weary-looking,  at  the  foot  of  the  table  ;  but 
it  was  very,  very  hard  to  bear,  when  Maria  kept  ap- 
pealing to  him  for  sympathy,  and  for  expressions  of 
joy  over  the  aspect  their  family-affairs  had  taken. 

"  Won't  it  be  delightful,  Tom,"  she  would  say, 
"  to  have  Christie  near  us  ?  She  will  never  go  away 
now  that  she  is  to  be  our  little  sister."  And  Tom 
tried  to  smile  pleasantly  in  reply. 

"  I  haven't  heard  you  wish  Christie  joy  yet,"  she 
remarked  soon  after ;  so  full  of  the  subject,  that  she 
said  any  thing  which  occurred  to  her,  merely  for  the 
gratification  of  talking  upon  it ;  thereby  torturing  her 
darling  brother  as  his  "worst  enemy  would  scarcely 
have  done  wittingly. 

"  I  have  told  Christie  how  much  happiness  I  wished 
her,  though  I  scarcely  think  she  needed  telling,"  he 
managed  to  say,  turning  to  the  girl,  who  sat  on  his 
right  hand. 

"  No,  indeed !  you  have  been  too  good  and  kind 
always  to  fail  me  now."  And  the  impulsive,  happy 
child  made  a  little  movement,  as  though  she  intended 
to  spring  up  and  kiss  him  again  in  her  loving  grati- 
tude. But  something  in  Tom's  eyes  checked  her,  she 
scarcely  knew  why ;  and  she  returned  to  her  pretence 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  105 

of  eating  her  dinner,  —  her  meal  being  from  the  begin- 
ning a  mere  farce. 

Again  Tom  utterly  refused  to  take  "  the  crumbs 
which  fell  from  the  master's  table ;  "  not  daring, 
moreover,  to  trust  himself  to  receive  such  a  token  in 
the  way  in  which  he  must  then  and  there  accept  it. 

Christie's  momentary  sense  of  defeat  passed  away 
as  a  ripple  disappears  from  the  surface  of  a  flowing 
river.  She  could  not  then  have  felt?  angrily  towards 
an  enemy ;  and,  hi  another  second,  Tom  was  to  her 
just  the  Tom  of  old. 

But  he  was  thankful  indeed*  when  the  meal  was 
over. 

"I  will  leave  you  ladies  to  talk  over  your  plans 
and  ideas  this  evening,"  he  said  as  they  .rose  from 
the  table,  "  as  I  have  some  work  for  to-night.  You 
can  tell  me  of  the  result  to-morrow  morning."  •  And, 
smiling  good-by,  he  left  them,  and  went  to  his  own 
room. 

"  Work  to  do  !  "  Yes,  he  had  that  work  appointed 
for  every  human  creature,  —  the  struggle  with  and 
conquest  of  his  own  passionate  heart  and  nature ;  he 
had  to  silence  the  crying-out  of  his  whole  being  for 
gratification  which  was  no  longer  lawful ;  he  had  to 
do  battle  for  his  own  soul.  But  not  in  a  single  night, 
not  in  many  coming  hours  of  darkness,  could  that  end 
be  attained. 

5* 


106  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

For  the  present,  mere  existence  seemed  to  demand 
all  his  strength.  Hour  after  hour,  he  lay  motionless 
upon  his  sofa,  without  definite  thought,  with  the 
vague  hope  that  the  pain  at  his  heart  would  gradually 
become  less  unbearable.  Had  there  been  any  exer- 
tion to  make,  it  would  have  been  a  relief  to  employ 
his  thoughts  and  energies,  however  trying  the  action. 
But  there  was  nothing  except  to  endure.  To  this 
quick -thinking,  -swiftly  -  executive  man,  it  was  the 
severest  form  in  which  trial  could  have  come.  Lying 
there  so  silent,  so  still,  it  was  as  though  he  were 
firmly  holding  with  his  hand  some  physical  wound, 
in  the  hope  that  the  life-blood  would  cease  to  flow. 

But  the  long  hours  that  went  over  him  brought 
little  relief.  The  labor  of  a  lifetime  demands  a  life- 
tune  for  its  execution. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

r  I  iHE  next  morning,  Tom  came  down  stairs  before 
-L  his  usual  time,  and  swallowed  a  hasty  break- 
fast, saying  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  be  at 
his  counting-room  at  an  early  hour.  He  could  not 
have  gone  through  that  meal  in  its  usual  form.  It 
had  been  to  him  the  brightest  part  of  each  day ;  but 
now  the  mere  recollection  of  it  made  him  set  his 
teeth  to  think  how  he  had  befooled  himself  with  false 
happiness. 

For  that,  and  many  other  days,  he  took  refuge  in  his 
counting-room,  toiling  there  from  morning  until  night 
until  he  grew  thin  and  haggard  from  the  strain  upon 
mind  and  body.  He  gave  his  managing-clerk  holi- 
day to  leave  the  city ;  and  did  his  work  for  him,  in  the 
mean  time,  as  such  work  was  probably  never  done  be- 
fore. He  went  into  the  minutiae  of  his  affairs,  and 
pushed  his  business,  until  his  employees  wondered 
and  admired,  and  imagined  that  he  was  ambitious  of 
making  a  fortune  in  a  single  year.  He  was  willing  to 
relieve  any  one  of  a  share  of  his  labor.  He  seemed 

107 


108  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

to  crave  routine,  and  to  seek  drudgery  ;  any  thing  to 
prevent  him  from  looking  backward  or  forward,  —  to 
the  past  which  held  so  much,  or  the  future  which 
held  nothing.  It  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  he 
found  it  hardest  to  face,  —  the  rich  fulness  of  one,  or 
the  blank  emptiness  of  the  other. 

To  occupy  himself  with  the  dull  detail  of  the  pres- 
ent moment  was  his  only  relief.  When  all  else  failed 
to  keep  thought  and  brain  bound  down,  he  would  fall 
to  casting  up  accounts,  to  adding  up  lines  of  figures, 
with  the  vague  hope  of  gaining  some  of  the  insensi- 
bility of  a  machine  by  imitating  its  regularity. 

"  My  best  friend  in  life  has  been  the  multiplication- 
table,"  Tom  Archer  said  years  after,  when  he  and  all 
about  him  had  changed  completely ;  looking  back 
upon  his  life,  and  summing  up  its  results.  "  It  has 
been  my  salvation  in  many  ways.  There  have  been 
timesj.  when,  without  it,  I  do  not  think  I  could  have 
lived  to  talk  of  it  at  this  moment.  I  have  always 
held  that  it  was  the  law  of  God,  and  that  a  sufficient- 
ly enlightened  knowledge  of  it  was  a  great  code  of 
morality.  When  a  man  has  it  well  grained  into  him 
that  twice  two  will  go  on  making  four  to  all  eternity, 
that  it  is  the  fundamental  law  of  the  universe,  he  will 
hesitate  before  committing  acts  which  will  inevita- 
bly bring  certain  results  and  certain  penalties.  He 
can  never  deceive  himself  into  thinking  that  cause 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  109 

and  effect  can  be  divorced,  or  that  a  soul  can  sin 
without  suffering  for  it  at  some  period  of  its  exist- 
ence. The  religion  of  the  multiplication-table  may 
appear  a  stern  one  ;  but  it  seems  to  have  a  very  rocky 
foundation.  I  think  Christ  preached  that  sermon, 
and  gave  out  its  great  text,  when  he  said, '  With  what 
measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  meted  to  you  again.'  An 
individual  who  has  this  article  in  his  creed  is  com- 
pelled to  hold  himself  to  a  terribly  strict  account,  and 
to  recognize  just  what  he  is  doing  when  he  sins  against 
God  and  man.  The  moral  aspect  of  the  multiplica- 
tion-table, its  extension  into  the  region  of  right  and 
wrong,  is  to  me  its  most  appalling  power.  When  I 
think  that  spiritual  consequences,  like  material  results, 
are  absolutely  relentless ;  that  no  amount  of  pardon, 
mercy,  or  reconciliation,  can  restore  a  criminal  to  what 
he  was  before  he  stained  his  soul ;  that  nothing  can 
take  away  from  him  that  dreadful  acquaintance  with 
evil,  and  awakened  appetite  for  it,  which  tasting  the 
forbidden  fruit  must  give,  —  I  get  a  realization  of  the 
awful  quality  of  sin  which  nothing  else .  gives  me. 
When  I  see  that  moral  law  of  inheritance,  that  '  the 
sins  of  the  fathers  shall  be  visited  upon  the  children,' 
being  executed  around  me  every  day,  the  mathemati- 
cal accuracy  with  which  Nature  keeps  her  accounts 
fills  me  with  dread  of  the  least  deviation  from  her 
straight  line.  If  we  were  sufficiently  clear-sighted 


110  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

and  far-sighted,  we  should  do  right,  if  only  from  sheer 
selfishness ;  we  should  tremble  before  our  own  wrong- 
doing as  before  nothing  else  in  heaven  or  on  earth. 
The  multiplication-table  is  microscopic  as  well  as  tel- 
escopic in  its  working ;  and,  like  godliness,  it  is  profit- 
able for  this  world  and  the  world  to  come.  I  suppose 
it  will  take  far  more  than  a  lifetime  really  to  compre- 
hend it ;  but  even  a  faint  appreciation  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage. I  have  tried  to  serve  it  faithfully ;  and  it 
has  been  my  strength  and  my  support,  even  when 
every  thing  else  seemed  to  fail  me." 

And  these  were  indeed  times  when  all  save  the 
multiplication  in  its  lowest  form,  the  laying-together 
of  dollars  and  cents,  appeared  to  have  failed  Tom 
Archer. 

Reginald  descended  the  morning  after  his  engage- 
ment, and  for  a  few  hours  played  the  part  of  devoted 
lover  to  perfection.  Beautiful,  tender,  and  ardent, 
he  could  have  made  Christie  grant  almost  any  request ; 
and,  when  he  pressed  eagerly  for  the  earliest  possible 
marriage,  what  could  the  girl  do  but  acquiesce  ?  His 
earnestness  and  impetuosity  could  only  flatter  and 
charm  her ;  and,  had  there  been  any  reason  to  oppose 
his  wish,  her  purpose  would  have  melted  before  his 
soft  pleadings. 

"  When  is  my  darling  to  be  mine  forever  ? "  he 
murmured  as  the  girl  lay  hi  his  arms.  "  I  shall  be 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  Ill 

miserable  until  I  have  her  entirely  to  myself.  My 
pet,  I  am  so  silly  about  you,  that  it  makes  me  wretch- 
ed to  see  any  one  else  interest  you,  or,  indeed,  come 
near  you." 

This  last  statement  was  so  purely  a  flight  of  fancy, 
that  Reginald  was  rather  pleased  with  himself  for 
having  thought  of  it,  and  paid  the  idea  the  compli- 
ment of  using  it  again.  It  strudsThim  as  too  good  a 
string  not  to  harp  upon. 

"  If  you  loved  me  as  I  love  you,  dearest,  you  would 
understand  and  pardon  my  foolish  jealousy,  which 
makes  me  want  to  claim  every  iota  of  your  nature,  and 
claim  it  instantly.  I  am  haunted  by  a  fear  that  cir- 
cumstances, or  even  death,  may  come  between  us, 
may  rob  me  of  you,"  he  went  on  ardently,  even  tra- 
gically, as  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms ;  listening  to 
himself  meanwhile  with  a  delighted  sense  of  humor, 
and  much  inward  approbation. 

It  tickled  him  rarely  to  think  how  nearly  he  had 
spoken  the  truth  in  his  last  sentence,  and  yet  how  far 
he  had  been  from  conveying  his  real  meaning:  it 
amused  him  to  see  how  openly  he  could  state  his 
dread  that  her  fortune  would  slip  through  his  fingers, 
without  her  being  any  the  wiser  for  his  words. 

The  girl  must  have  been  a  stone  to  have  resisted 
such  tender  passion  and  fire  as  vibrated  through  his 
tone,  and  even  through  his  frame,  as  he  spoke.  He 


112  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

was  extremely  anxious  to  bring  this  matter  to  the 
speediest  conclusion,  thus  extricating  himself  from  his 
financial  difficulties ;  and  he  spared  no  pains  to  gain 
his  end. 

"  My  darling,  nothing  shall  part  us ! "  she  ex- 
claimed in  reply,  raising  herself,  and  throwing  her 
arms  about  him  with  all  the  passionate  devotion  of 
her  pure  heart.  *  I  should  die  if  you  were  taken 
from  me  ! " 

"Will  you  marry  me  immediately,  next  week?" 
Reginald  instantly  asked,  descending  from  his  roman- 
tic elevation,  and  becoming  practical  in  a  second. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered  freely  and  fervently :  "  when- 
ever you  wish  it.  I  will  do  any  thing  to  show  you 
that  I  love  you  as  deeply  and  truly  as  you  can  love 
me." 

Reginald  smiled  the  sweetest  smile  of  absolute  sat- 
isfaction that  probably  ever  sat  upon  mortal  lips.  He 
fully  appreciated  the  unconscious  satire  of  her  last 
words ;  but  he  kept  all  shadow  of  amusement  out 
of  his  face  ;  and  the  girl  seemed  fully  justified  in  her 
belief,  that,  as  he  kissed  her,  his  joy  was  too  deep  for 
utterance. 

He  was  in  such  good  humor,  that,  even  after  he 
had  accomplished  the  business  of  the  day  in  winning 
her  consent  to  an  immediate  marriage,  he  wasted  fully 
an  hour  of  his  valuable  time  upon  her  without  any 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  113 

particular  compensation ;  giving  her  loving  words  and 
caresses  with  somewhat  the  amusement  with  which 
one  feeds  a  child  on  sugar-plums.  When  at  last  he 
went  away,  it  was  with  the  definite  agreement,  that 
their  wedding  was  to  take  place  on  the  Thursday  of 
the  following  week;  leaving  less  than  ten  days  for 
preparations. 

Christie's  wealth  rendered  such  considerations  no 
obstacle ;  as  a  trousseau  of  almost  any  magnificence 
can  be  provided  as  by  magic,  if  one  be  willing  to  pay 
the  required  price.  Christie  and  Maria  and  Ellen 
were  kept  busy  from  morning  until  night.  The  first 
was  little  more  than  a  lay-figure  upon  which  to  try 
clothes ;  but  she  was  so  constantly  needed  in  that 
capacity,  and  to  give  the  final  decision  in  all  matters, 
that  she  had  scarcely  an  unoccupied  moment  at  her 
command.  Even  Reginald  saw  little  of  her,  except 
in  the  evenings,  —  a  fact  which  he  outwardly  de- 
plored and  secretly  rejoiced  over,  as  saving  him  much 
attitudinizing  and  speech-making,  much  weariness  of 
mind  and  body. 

They  breakfasted  together  each  morning ;  and  the 
meal  was  the  same  pretty  play  as  usual.  Then 
would  follow  an  hour  of  lovers'  talk  and  caresses, 
from  which  Christie  would  finally  tear  herself  away, 
as  though  she  were  taking  sweetest  food  from  her 
lips,  but  from  which  Reginald  departed  to  his  accus- 


114  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

tomed  amusements  and  occupations  with  a  sense  of 
relief. 

"  I  could  not  let  you  go,  dearest,"  he  would  whis- 
per with  the  softest  accent  of  regret,  "  except  that 
it  will  bring  you  to  my  arms  the  earlier.  It  is  only 
by  remembering  that  we  shall  soon  be  together  for- 
ever that  I  learn  to  bear  the  separation  now." 

Then  he  would  leave  her  with  a  delightful  sense  of 
freedom  until  the  dinner-hour  called  him  back  to  tem- 
porary servitude.  At  times,  the  work  was  heavy ;  but 
he  consoled  himself  with  the  business-like  consider- 
ation, that  he  was  purchasing  a  fortune  cheaply,  and 
could  well  afford  to  pay  the  small  required  price  for 
a  week  or  two. 

He  announced  his  rapidly-approaching  marriage  at 
the  club  and  in  general  society ;  and  in  both  it  cre- 
ated a  profound  sensation.  The  gay  women  whose 
company  he  most  affected  rather  regretted  that  he 
should  fetter  himself,  even  slightly,  with  the  bonds  of 
matrimony ;  but  were  more  than  consoled  when  they 
reflected  that  they  would  have  a  rich  lover  instead 
of  a  poor  one.  He  would  keep  up  a  magnificent 
establishment,  and  could  fete  them  to  their  hearts' 
content ;  not  to  mention  other  advantages,  less 
openly  displayed,  which  they  would  derive  from  the 
increase  in  his  income.  They  soon  ascertained  the 
particulars  of  his  engagement, — that  his  intended  wife 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  115 

was  a  mere  child,  whom  he  was  marrying  for  her 
wealth ;  whom  neither  he  nor  they  need  fear  in  any 
respect.  She  would  be  a  very  pleasant  member  of 
their  set ;  too  innocent  for  perception,  and  too  child- 
like for  criticism  and  contention ;  a  person  to  be  kept 
in  good  humor  by  caresses  and  careless  compliments, 
and,  in  the  mean  time,  to  be  used  as  freely  as  possible. 
They  made  up  their  minds  to  ride  in  her  carriages,  to 
eat  her  fine  dinners,  to  hint  presents  out  of  her,  to 
manage  her  to  their  utmost  advantage,  and  to  main- 
tain their  old  relationship  towards  her  husband 
under  her  little  nose.  This  course  of  conduct  would 
suit  both  Reginald  and  themselves :  and,  if  Christie 
fell  into  it  gracefully,  they  would  treat  her  extremely 
well ;  in  fact,  be  her  dearest  friends. 

Among  men,  Reginald's  avowal  of  his  intention 
produced  mingled  emotions. 

When  he  spoke  of  his  engagement  at  his  club,  he 
was,  of  course,  congratulated  by  all  present,  as  though 
his  success  in  life  were  their  darling  hope  and  fondest 
desire.  They  were  aware  of  Christie's  wealth ;  and 
some  had,  perhaps,  anticipated  the  result  when  they 
heard  of  her  arrival;  but  none  had  expected  the 
campaign  to  be  conducted  to  such  rapid  and  brilliant 
victory.  Many  pleasant  and  flattering  things  were 
said  to  Reginald  as  the  hero  of  the  hour ;  and  they 
could  not  help  regarding  him  with  a  certain  new  def- 


116  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

erence,  as  the  prospective  owner  of  so  much  money. 
But  scarcely  was  his  back  turned,  when  there  broke 
out  audibly  that  curious  discontent  which  fills  the 
mind  of  man  at  any  unusual  and  unexpected  success 
on  the  part  of  his  brother-man.  A  certain  secret 
sense  of  injury,  a  feeling  that  one  has  been  taken 
and  the  other  left  without  legitimate  reason,  will 
insinuate  itself  into  human  nature  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. The  other's  gain  does,  in  some  shadowy 
way,  become  your  loss ;  and  you  feel  aggrieved  in  so 
much  as  something  which  might  possibly  have  be- 
come yours  has  been  secured  by  another.  You 
resent  the  partiality  of  circumstances,  and  feel 
wronged  by  fate  ;  and  you  vaguely  express  your  sen- 
timent by  being  in  a  bad  humor  with  the  world  in 
general,  and  the  fortunate  individual  in  particular. 
You  regard  it  as  a  species  of  swindle  that  he  should 
fare  so  much  more  softly  than  yourself;  and  your 
soul  is  fired  with  righteous  wrath  that  he  should  be 
so  much  better  paid  for  being  no  better  than  you 
are. 

"  Hang  that  fellow !  did  you  ever  see  such  luck  ?  " 
exclaimed  one  of  the  young  men  the  moment  Regi- 
nald left  the  room,  speaking  with  an  anger  and  dis- 
gust which  were  comical  enough  to  witness,  but  in 
which  he  was  perfectly  serious  and  sincere. 

Those  around  him  shared  his  feeling  too  entirely 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  117 

to  see  any  thing  amusing  in  his  mood  or  his  remark  ; 
and  all  broke  out  in  the  same  strain. 

"  Now,  I  want  to  know  where  is  the  justice  of 
Heaven  in  letting  Reginald  Archer  draw  such  a 
prize,"  cried  out  another  indignant  young  person. 
"  He  is  the  worst  man  I  know  ;  and  here  he  has  been 
given  the  -very  thing  of  all  others  that  he  wanted. 
The  greatest  heiress  that  has  been  about  these  parts 
for  years  is  brought  into  his  very  house ;  walks 
right  into  his  hands.  I  confess  I  don't  understand 
the  dealings  of  Providence  :  for  that  looks  to  me 
like  putting  a  premium  upon  wickedness ;  giving  a 
high  reward  to  an  evil  life." 

The  young  man's  virtuous  indignation  gained 
point  from  the  fact  that  he  had  modelled  his  social 
existence  upon  Reginald's,  and  so  might  reasonably 
have  expected  to  share  the  benefits  conferred  on  such 
a  course. 

"  I  fancy  it  will  be  some  time  before  any  of  us  get 
such  a  chance  of  settling  ourselves  in  the  world.  I 
suppose  we  are  not  quite  wicked  enough ;  that  it  is 
only  the  eminent  shiners  who  get  paid  so  largely," 
he  wound  up  angrily. 

"  So  it  is  Col.  Macalaster's  daughter  whom  he  is 
to  marry,"  remarked  an  elderly  gentleman  of  the 
old  school,  who  came  to  the  club  for  a  game  of 
whist  because  he  had  no  family  with  which  to 


118  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

take  refuge,  but  had  nothing  in  common  with  the 
young  men  around  him.  "  I  used  to  know  him  years 
ago  ;  and  this  daughter  can  be  little  more  than  a 
child  now.  It  would  have  been  well  if  he  could 
have  taken  her  with  him  when  he  died,  instead  of 
leaving  her  to  that  man's  mercy,"  he  added  sadly. 

"  I  suppose  Reginald  will  give  up  his  pretty  ways, 
in  mere  decency,  when  he  is  married;  he  will  be 
ashamed  to  go  on  as  he  now  does,"  suggested  one  of 
the  company. 

"  My  young  friend,"  replied  the  elder  gentleman, 
"  neither  a  man's  nor  a  woman's  nature  is  changed 
by  having  a  few  words  said  over  him  or  her.  What 
is  born  in  the  bone  will  come  out  in  the  flesh.  If  a 
man  has  not  sufficient  conscience  and  honor,  and 
fixed  standard  of  right  and  wrong,  to  restrain  him 
before  his  marriage,  the  wedding-ceremony  is  no 
miracle  to  give  them  to  him.  If  a  far  less  abandoned 
man  than  Reginald  Archer  plant  certain  seeds  in  his 
nature,  they  will  crop  out  from  time  to  time  in  spite 
of  himself;  at  least,  sufficiently  to  make  his  wife  a 
very  miserable  woman,  if  she  possesses  conscience,  a 
heart,  and  high-toned  honor,  and,  above  all,  is  striv- 
ing honestly  to  keep  her  marriage-vow  to  '  love  and 
honor  and  reverence  him.'  No :  I  say  again,  that 
that  poor  innocent  girl  had  better  be  lying  peacefully 
by  her  father's  side  than  be  bound  for  life,  not 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  119 

merely  to  Reginald  Archer,  but  to  any  man  who  has 
even  put  his  foot  upon  the  course  he  has  walked  so 
long." 

The  elder  man,  who  had  tried  life  and  proved  it, 
and  knew  whereof  he  affirmed,  stood  facing  the 
whole  circle  as  he  spoke,  with  glowing  eyes  and 
vibrating  voice :  for  he  was  thinking  of  his  own  dead 
daughter,  who  might  have  lived  for  such  a  fate  ; 
whose  loss  had  once  been  his  heaviest  sorrow,  but 
whose  death  he  had  learned  to  cease  to  regret 
through  watching  the  fate  of  other  women.  The 
intense  feeling,  and,  above  all,  the  immeasurable  con- 
viction, with  which  he  spoke,  and  the  application  of 
his  words  to  every  individual  present,  made  a  strange 
quietude  and  very  uncomfortable  sensation  creep  over 
that  company.  It  was  as  though  each  one  had  had 
his  own  sin  and  its  inevitable  consequences  presented 
before  him,  and  found  it  hard  to  look  it  full  in  the 
face. 

There  was  silence  for  several  moments ;  and  then 
the  elder  man,  speaking  more  quietly,  said,  — 

"  I  remember  this  girl  as  a  child ;  and,  if  she  be 
of  the  stuff  I  take  her  to  be,  she  will  not  live  very 
long  under  the  circumstances.  She  has,  at  least,  that 
way  of  escape  from  him ;  which  sometimes  strikes 
me  as  being  the  only  certain  resource  women  have  in 
this  world." 


120  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

And,  having  said  his  say,  he  took  up  his  hat  and 
left  the  room. 

There  was  an  uncomfortable  pause ;  and  then  one 
of  the  young  men  said,  with  an  uneasy  laugh,  — 

"Takes  things  rather  seriously,  doesn't  the  old 
gentleman  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  several  others,  glad  of  any  thing 
which  broke  the  constraint  which  was  upon  them  all. 
"  He  always  was  a  queer  fellow,  and  had  odd,  old- 
fashioned  notions  of  things." 

"  It's  enough  to  give  any  one  the  shivers  to  hear 
him  talk !  "  exclaimed  another. 

"  He  must  have  known  a  very  different  set  of  * 
women  from  that  which  we  live  in,  to  be  able  to 
speak  and  think  of  them4n  that  manner,"  remarke^  * 
one  of  the  party,  rather  older  than  the  rest,  looking 
gravely  and  quietly  before  him.  "  I  should  like  to 
see  a  woman  who  was  worth  all  that  faith  and  feel- 
ing from  such  a  man  ;  for  he  is  no  fool,  I  can  tell 
you,  and  knows  the  world  well.  I  only  hope  that 
what  he  says  is  one  of  his  peculiar  whims ;  because, 
if  he  be  right,  we  have  laid  up  a  pleasant  prospect  for 
our  old  age  ;  and  I  suppose  most  of  us  have  an  idea 
of  being  good  boys  one  of  these  days,"  he  added, 
breaking  out  into  somewhat  bitter  laughter.  "  How- 
ever, we  have  made  our  beds;  and  the  best  thing 
will  be  to  lie  on  them  as  gracefully  as  possible." 


REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  There  is  one  person  who  will  be  pleased  at  this 
marriage,"  exclaimed  another  of  the  young  men, 
glad  to  take  a  different  view  of  the  subject ;  "  and 
that  is  Tom  Archer,"  —  naming  the  man,  of  all 
others,  who  would  have  died  to  prevent  it. 

"  I  wonder  how  much  Reginald  has  cost  him  in  the 
last  ten  years,"  suggested  another. 

"  Quite  a  pretty  fortune,  I  imagine,"  was  the 
reply.  "  Reginald  has  supported  himself  for  a  long 
tune  by  a  dexterous  system  of  taxation  both  at  home 
and  abroad,  —  high  tariff  and  internal  revenue  ;  and 
Tom  represents  the  latter.  I  wager  you  one  thing,  — 
that  it  is  a  tax  punctually  collected." 

And,  with  a  general  laugh,  the  party  broke  up. 

Each  went  his  own  way  ;  but  each  took  with  him 
the  same  vague  sense  of  ill-will  towards  Reginald, 
and  the  same  fixed  determination  to  hold  to  him 
faithfully  until  his  last  dollar  should  be  spent. 
"  Bound  together  by  the  strong  cohesive  attraction 
of  '  private '  plunder,"  they  felt  it  to  be  their  duty 
and  privilege  to  obtain,  severally  and  colle'ctively,  as 
large  an  amount  of  the  great  fortune  as  could  be 
extracted  from  its  owner.  They  had  stood  by  Regi- 
nald in  his  comparative  adversity ;  and,  in  his  pros- 
perity, they  did  not  intend  to  desert  him.  The  pos- 
session of  a  rich  friend  is  the  next  thing  to  being 
rich  one's  self ;  and  they  had  no  idea  of  letting  any 

6 


122  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

foolish  reticence  withhold  them  from  any  advantages 
which  might  arise  therefrom.  Reginald's  associates 
eminently  belonged  to  that  class  of  persons  who  con- 
sider Christ's  injunction,  "  Ask,  arid  it  shall  be  given 
unto  you,"  so  good  and  fitting,  that  it  ought  to  be 
applied  to  this  world  as  well  as  to  the  next,  and  acted 
upon  in  reference  to  their  fellow-beings  as  well  as  to 
a  higher  power.  Among  the  host  of  individuals 
whom  he  called  his  friends,  there  was  scarcely  one 
who  had  not  already  definitely  or  indefinitely  deter- 
mined to  improve  his  or  her  fortunes  by  the  other's 
good  fortune.  With  all  the  splendor  attending  the 
preparations  for  Christie's  wedding,  she  seemed  truly 
but  a  poor  little  lamb  being  made  ready  for  sacrifice ; 
and  the  vultures  and  cormorants  were  even  now 
gathering  in  the  distance,  scenting  their  prey. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

~r  LOYD  TRUXTON,  having  assisted  at  Regi- 
.  i  J  nald's  courtship  from  the  beginning,  had  an 
interest  and  a  sense  of  triumph  in  its  successful  con- 
clusion. He  had  a  disinterested,  doglike  attachment 
to  his  leader,  and  a  pride  in  his  power  and ,  fascina- 
tions, which  made  him  delight  in  his  victory,  apart 
from  personal  considerations ;  though  these  latter 
were  very  strong.  Reginald  having  been  perfectly 
free-handed  with  Tom's  money,  the  inference  was 
that  he  would  be  so  with  Christie's ;  and  Lloyd  natu- 
rally concluded  that  there  was  a  rich  harvest  in  store 
for  him.  He  had  almost  the  sensation  of  having 
made  a  wealthy  match  himself,  and  realized  more 
than  ever  that  his  best  investment  in  life  was  stick- 
ing close  to  the  Archers.  He  was  with  them  so 
constantly,  that  he  felt  like  one  of  the  family,  and 
plumed  himself  not  a  little  on  the  connection  it  was 
about  to  make. 

"  See  here,  Truxton,"  sai'd  one  of  the  young  men 

at  the  club,  after  they  had  all  borne  his  vicarious  da- 
rn 


124  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

tion  for  several'days  in  silent  irritation :  "  what  have 
you  got  to  do  with  this  wedding,  that  you  are  so  set 
up  about  it  ?  If  Archer  were  to  put  on  airs,  —  which, 
I  must  confess,  he  doesn't,  —  I  could  see  some  reason 
for  it ;  but  why  you  are  holding  up  your  head  so 
high,  I  really  can't  understand." 

"  I  am  sure  I  was  not  conscious  of  putting  on  any 
airs,"  returned  Lloyd,  suddenly  lowering  his  plumes 
like  a  drenched  chicken  ;  "  but  Reginald  is  almost 
like  a  brother  to  me,  and  of  course  I  am  glad  to  see 
him  provide  for  himself  so  well." 

It  must  be  admitted  that  he  did  not  shine  in 
retort. 

"  I  suppose  you  intend  to  make  him  your  brother 
in  reality  one  of  these  days,  which  would  account 
for  your  deep  interest  in  the  family  prosperity,"  sug- 
gested another  speaker.  "  I  saw  you  playing  the 
devoted  to  that  pretty  little  sister  of  his  the  other 
morning  ;  and  it  struck  me  as  rather  a  bright  idea  on 
your  part.  I  really  should  not  have  given  you  credit 
for  so  much  perception,  or  for  such  a  neat  combina- 
tion of  your  pleasure  and  profit.  Two  rich,  generous 
brothers-in-law  are  not  a  bad  provision  in  life  for  such 
a  fellow  as  you,  who  will  never  work  for  a  living,  and 
never  be  clever  enough  to  marry  a  fortune,"  he  went 
on,  with  that  half-contemptuous  truthfulness  of  state- 
ment to  which  Lloyd's  friends  generally  treated  him. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  125 

Lloyd  Truxton  sat  and  looked  at  the  man  in  silence 
for  several  minutes,  as  though  an  idea  were  dawning 
upon  him,  —  were  gradually  penetrating  his  brain. 
From  his  appearance,  one  would  imagine  he  found  it 
necessary  to  open  his  eyes  very  wide  to  take  in  the 
new-comer. 

"  You  are  very  complimentary,  I  must  confess,"  he 
presently  returned  rather  meekly  by  way  of  reply, 
not  knowing  what  else  to  say. 

And,  finding  that  they  had  reduced  him  for  the 
present  to  a  convenient  and  proper  level,  his  attackers 
drew  off  then-  forces,  and  allowed  him  to  remain  in 
peace. 

He  sat  quiet  for  some  time,  apparently  thinking  ; 
but  presently  took  himself  away,  carrying  with  him 
the  suggestion  he  had  received  during  the  discus- 
sion; for  he  had,  indeed,  gained  a  perfectly  fresh 
thought. 

Ever  since  Christie's  coming,  when  Reginald  had 
introduced  Lloyd  into  his  home  for  his  own  purposes, 
the  latter  had  been  carrying  on  a  mild  flirtation  with 
Ellen  Archer,  upon  his  general  principle  of  flirting 
with  every  pretty  girl  he  came  near.  Their  tastes 
and  inclinations  agreed  ;  and,  being  constantly  thrown 
in  her  society,  he  had  come  to  care  for  her  about  as 
much  as  he  was  capable  of  caring  for  any  one  except 
himself.  But,  having  predetermined  that  matrimony 


126  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

must  be  the  means  of  securing  him  a  final  support,  the 
idea  of  marrying  Ellen,  or  any  other  girl  without  for- 
tune, had  not  entered  his  mind. 

That  little  conversation  at  the  club  had,  however, 
presented  his  fancy  for  her  in  a  new  light ;  and  he  was 
now  by  no  means  sure  that  gratifying  his  inclination 
would  not  be  his  wisest  as  well  as  his  most  attractive 
course.  That  he  could  neither  make  money  nor 
marry  it,  he  was  beginning  strongly  to  suspect ;  and 
to  have  the  same  opinion  authoritatively  pronounced 
by  others  settled  the  matter  with  him,  as  it  settles 
all  such  questions  with  weak  men  who  cannot  help 
rating  themselves  at  the  valuation  of  others.  Having 
no  inward  consciousness  of  reserved  strength,  they 
cannot  withstand,  even  in  their  own  eyes,  the  decision 
of  their  circle :  they  unconsciously  appeal  to  those 
around  them  to  learn  their  own  mental  and  moral 
weight  and  measure.  Naturally,  Lloyd  easily  ac- 
quiesced in  an  opinion  towards  which  he  had  been 
experimentally  led  for  some  time  past. 

It  was  strongly  borne  in  upon  him,  that  it  would 
be  better  to  secure  a  certain  advantage  than  to  go 
on  striving  after  an  imaginary  good  which  failed  to 
make  its  appearance.  With  all  his  diligence  of  pur- 
suit, no  woman  uniting  the  two  essentials  of  social 
position  and  wealth  had  yet  smiled  upon  him  ;  nor  did 
it  seem  likely  that  one  would  be  found  of  sufficiently 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  127 

peculiar  taste  to  do  so.  Tom  and  Reginald  in  the 
positions  of  brothers-in-law  —  with  his  hold  of  old 
friendship  upon  one,  and  of  family  pride  and  honor 
upon  the  other  —  appeared  more  stable  supports 
than  the  supposititious  heiress  who  was  to  rescue  him 
from  his  slough  of  despond.  He  wondered  that  he 
had  not  immediately  taken  this  view  of  the  affair ; 
and  was  really  thankful  to  his  brother  clubman  for 
his  sound  and  sensible  advice,  even  though  it  had 
been  given  in  a  somewhat  insulting  manner.  That 
his  wishes  and  his  interest  should  run  parallel  charmed 
him  ;  and  he  determined  to  devote  himself  from  that 
time  forward  to  attaining  their  common  end. 

Perhaps,  with  all  the  advantages  of  the  plan,  he 
might  not  have  made  up  his  mind  to  immediate 
matrimony  but  for  the  curious  contagious  power  of  a 
wedding  in  the  family  or  connection.  Let  one  person 
take  that  plunge,  and  the  other  members  of  his  circle 
seem  drawn  by  some  mysterious  influence  to  follow 
him.  He  appears  to  create  a  species  of  moral  eddy, 
into  which  they  are  attracted  almost  against  their 
will.  Matrimony  is  certainly,  at  times,  epidemic  in 
its  nature,  or  may  be  caught,  like  the  measles  or  the 
small-pox.  Reginald's  example  influenced  Lloyd  as 
much  as  the  pecuniary  benefits  of  his  scheme  ;  and, 
the  elder  man  having  led  the  way,  his  trusty  adherent 
felt,  in  a  measure,  bound  to  follow  him.  As  soon  as 


128  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

Reginald  declared  his  intention  to  marry,  the  other 
felt  it  to  be  fashionable,  —  a  species  of  social  duty 
which  he  must  neglect  no  longer;  just  as  he  had 
previously  supposed  gay  bachelorhood  to  be  the  finest 
form  of  existence. 

It  must  truly  be  a  wonderful  relief  to  have  one's 
life  squared  and  measured  by  the  simple  rule  of  fol- 
lowing the  lead  of  some  one  else  ;  and  the  ability 
and  necessity  of  thinking  for  one's  self  has  serious 
penalties,  from  which,  at  times,  one  would  willingly 
be  exempt. 

To  whatever  Reginald  announced  as  the  proper 
course,  Lloyd  responded  amen,  —  even  in  so  grave  a 
matter  as  taking  a  wife.  The  more  he  considered  the 
plan,  the  more  feasible  and  pleasant  it  appeared,  until 
he  worked  himself  into  almost  an  enthusiasm  on  the 
subject.  Meeting  Reginald  soon  after,  he  accom- 
panied him  home,  and  devoted  himself  almost  as 
openly  and  ardently  to  Ellen  as  Christie's  lover  did 
to  her. 

Thus  he  laid  siege  to  the  fortress  he  intended  to 
capture. 


CHAPTER   X. 

HE  fourth  day  before  the  time  appointed  for  the 
-1-  wedding  had  arrived,  and  still  Tom  had  not 
brought  himself  to  speak  to  Christie  upon  the  subject 
of  securing  her  fortune  to  herself ;  indeed,  had  scarce- 
ly found  strength  and  courage  to  speak  to  her  at  all. 
But  he  felt  that  the  attempt  must  be  made ;  that  in 
this  matter  he  had  no  right  to  spare  himself  any 
longer. 

He  had  managed  so  successfully  to  avoid  meeting 
her,  that  when  he  came  home  an  hour  earlier  than 
usual,  and  sent  word  he  wished  to  see  her,  the  girl 
came  down  stairs  eagerly  and  gladly  to  greet  him. 

"  Tom,"  she  exclaimed,  entering  the  room,  her  face 
all  smiles  and  brightness,  and  her  voice  thrilling  with 
pleasure,  "  I  had  begun  to  think  I  should  never  see 
you  again.  Have  you  been  so  swallowed  up  in  busi- 
ness that  you  could  not  give  me  a  little  of  your  time, 
even  during  the  last  week  I  shall  be  here  ?  "  she 
asked,  with  the  old  quick  gesture  of  putting  out  her 
hand  as  she  spoke. 

6*  129 


130  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

Tom  had  been  standing  with  his  clasped  behind 
him,  gazing  out  of  the  window,  when  she  entered. 
At  her  words  he  turned  round,  but  kept  his  hands 
tightly  locked  as  before  ;  thus  securing  the  resistance 
of  the  temptation  to  take  the  soft  palm  which  was 
offered  him. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  Christie,"  he  said 
quietly ;  and  then  stopped  a  moment,  thinking  how 
far  too  glad  he  was,  and  wondering  whether  the 
gnawing  pain  at  his  heart  would  grow  utterly  unen- 
durable, or  whether  he  would  be  able  to  bear  it  dur- 
ing the  five-minutes'  conversation  which  would  proba- 
bly ensue. 

"  I  have  not  been  able  to  spend  much  time  with 
you  lately,  as  I  have  been  very  much  engrossed,"  he 
went  on  steadily,  after  an  almost  imperceptible  pause, 
disregarding,  as  far  as  he  could,  the  sorrowful  shade 
of  disappointment  which  came  into  the  large,  uplifted 
eyes  at  his  reticent,  cool  address ;  "  but  I  have  come 
home  this  afternoon  to  say  something  to  you  which  I 
think  ought  to  be  said.  Will  you  sit  down  and  listen 
tome?" 

He  placed  a  chair,  and  she  silently  took  it,  sur- 
prised at  his  expression,  and  vaguely  wondering  what 
might  be  coming. 

Standing  before  her  with  that  concentrated  look  in 
his  face,  as  though  holding  himself  to  his  purpose,  he 
went  on  to  explain  his  meaning. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  131 

"  I  told  you,  Christie,"  he  proceeded  slowly,  as 
though  he  had  thought  over  and  predetermined  his 
words,  and  wished  her  to  take  in  their  full  force, 
"  that  I  would  be  your  brother ;  and,  in  what  I  am 
about  to  do,  I  ask  you  to  believe  and  remember  that  I 
think  I  am  acting  a  brother's  part.  If  your  father 
were  here,  he  would  settle  that  which  it  now  falls  to 
my  lot  to  arrange.  But  you  are  alone  in  the  world." 
(It  was  fine  to  see  the  girl's  eyes  flash,  and  her  cheeks 
glow,  to  hear  herself  called  alone  in  the  world,  —  she, 
the  elect  of  all  women,  the  beloved  of  Reginald  Ar- 
cher; who,  in  possessing  him,  possessed  all  things.) 
"  I  am  compelled  to  seem  to  meddle  in  your  affairs.  I 
am  constrained  to  take  up  that,  which,  let  me  assure 
you,  is  a  very  unpleasant  duty." 

He  was  emphatic  upon  that  point  in  his  concentrat- 
ed earnestness  ;  for  he  grew  more  sore  every  moment 
to  think  that  he  was  forced  to  appear  before  her  in 
the  light  of  a  coarse  intruder ;  that  she  would  remem- 
ber him  as  a  shadow  upon  her  happiest  hours ;  as  one 
who  had  brought  sordid,  pecuniary  considerations  into 
her  holiest,  highest  sentiments. 

He  had  determined  to  state  his  purpose  as  imme- 
diately and  in  as  few  words  as  possible ;  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  do  so. 

"  Before  your  marriage,  I  want  you  to  let  me  have 
your  fortune  settled  upon  yourself,  so  that  no  mis- 


132  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

chance  can  ever  reduce  you  to  poverty ;  so  that  you 
may  have  a  certain  independence  of  action  always 
secured  to  you.  I  ask  you  to  empower  me  to  act  in 
your  father's  place,  and  to  see  that  his  child's  future 
is  made  safe  against  all  hazard." 

The  girl  rose  to  her  feet.  There  was  such  splendid 
indignation  in  her  eyes,  such  an  enthusiasm  of  con- 
tempt for  his  proposition,  that  Tom's  heart  swelled 
with  admiration  for  the  fair,  generous  young  creature 
before  him. 

"  If  you  think  my  father  would  have  asked  me  to 
do  that  which  would  imply  an  utter  lack  of  faith  and 
trust  in  the  man  I  profess  to  love,  you  must  have 
known  as  little  of  him  as  you  seem  to  do  of  his 
daughter,"  the  clear  voice  rang  out.  "  Do  you  im- 
agine I  would  offer  Reginald  such  an  insult  ?  that  I 
would  even  appear  to  divide  our  fates  ?  Why,  it  is 
my  privilege  and  my  glory  that  I  can  give  hirn  all  I 
have  in  the  world,  and  that  he  thinks  it  worthy  of 
his  acceptance.  Do  you  ask  me  to  deprive  myself  of 
this  happiness  ?  When  I  give  him  myself,  would  I 
withhold  any  miserable  money  I  can  bring  with  me  ? 
If  you  think  such  a  thing  possible,  you  understand 
me  very  little ;  for  it  can  never,  never  be.  And  Tom, 
Tom  !  to  think  that  you  should  ask  me  to  do  any 
thing  mean  and  faithless !  —  you,  whom  I  believed  in 
so  entirely ! " 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  133 

And  the  girl's  voice  broke  down  from  its  proud 
anger  with  a  little  wailing  sob,  which  smote  her 
listener  to  the  heart. 

It  was  the  first  jar  upon  her  faith  in  humanity ;  the 
first  abrasion  of  her  trust  in  mankind,  which  was  to 
wear  away  so  surely  and  steadily  ;  the  first  striking 
of  a  bare  nerve,  whose  constant  thrill  was  to  be  the 
most  familiar  suffering,  the  true  torture  of  her  life. 

"  Christie  !  "  Tom  broke  out,  "  I  knew  you  would 
misjudge  me  in  this  way ;  but  I  thought  it  right  to 
warn  you,  regardless  of  any  personal  pain.  I  entreat 
you  to  remember  that  I  am  older  than  you,  and  know 
men  far  better ;  and,  in  the  face  of  all  you  have  said 
and  can  say,  I  implore  you  to  follow  my  advice." 

"  Why  will  you  go  on  insulting  me  in  this  way  ?  " 
she  flashed  out,  her  anger  rising  again,  and  what  she 
held  to  be  her  righteous  wrath  overcoming  her  sor- 
row. "  If  I  were  capable  of  such  an  act,  I  should 
despise  myself  for  it !  "  she  exclaimed,  the  words  pass- 
ing beyond  her  lips  and  her  self-control :  "  as  it  is,  I 
despise  you  for  tempting  me  to  it !  " 

As  Christ  drove  the  money-changers  out  of  the 
temple,  so  she  cast  even  the  shadow  of  a  sordid 
thought  out  of  the  .holy  sanctuary  of  her  perfect  love 
and  faith. 

If  she  had  struck  Tom  in  the  face,  he  would  have 
flinched  less  than  he  did  at  that  one  word,  while  the 


134  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

color  could  have  sprung  no  more  hotly  to  his  cheeks, 
He  set  his  teeth  as  he  answered  her :  — 

"  I  have  finished :  I  shall  try  no  further.  You  have 
made  your  own  decision,  and  must  abide  the  result. 
Hitherto,"  he  went  on  with  dogged  desperation,  "  I 
have  been  able  to  pray  from  the  depths  of  my  heart 
that  you  might  live  and  die  in  blessed  blindness ;  and 
you  cannot  tempt  me  to  wish  that  light  may  burst 
upon  you  in  all  its  dreadful  power,  compelling  you 
to  see  what  I  see  now.  But,  Christie,"  —  and,  un- 
clasping those  tightly-locked  hands  for  the  first  time, 
he  put  them  upon  her  shoulders,  and  held  her  firm 
while  he  spoke  his  last  sentence,  —  "  as  surely  as  we 
stand  here,  you  will  learn  the  truth.  I  demand  that 
you  shall  then  remember  this  hour,  and  do  me  tardy 
justice  ;  at  least,  in  your  own  heart.  I  appeal  from 
this  judgment-day  to  that ;  and  I  can  afford  to  await 
the  verdict." 

And,  without  another  word,  he  left  her. 

Almost  maddened  by  the  blow  she  had  struck  him, 
nearly  savage  with  pain,  and  sense  of  wrong,  he 
was  still  conscious  of  an  absolute  enthusiasm  for  the 
woman  who  could  be  so  unworldly ;  who  could  feel 
such  indignation,  and  spurn  from  her  that  which  she 
imagined  to  be  meanness,  as  though  it  were  vile  con- 
tamination. Blinded  and  mistaken,  she  was,  never- 
theless, right  by  a  higher  law  than  earthly  wisdom ; 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  135 

she  held  to  a  truth  which  was  better  than  fact ;  and 
Tom's  aching  heart  throbbed  with  a  love  for  her,  a 
high,  pure  pride  in  her,  which  had  never  before  filled 
it.  As  soon  as  the  first  wild  thrill  from  her  stroke 
had  passed  from  his  frame,  he  more  than  forgave 
her ;  he  gloried  in  her  for  having  dealt  it.  She  had 
enshrined  herself  in  a  more  exalted  place  in  his 
thoughts  ;  and  he  bowed  in  humbler,  more  reverent 
worship  than  ever.  This  almost  divine  folly  of  trust- 
ing youth,  this  injustice  of  blessed  ignorance,  seemed 
to  him  priceless,  as  guaranteeing  the  truth  and  honor 
of  a  heart  that  might  never  be  his. 

He  was  experiencing  what  Corinne  meant  when 
she  said,  "  I  would  far  rather  lose  my  love  than  my 
admiration  ;  "  which  is  tho  cry  of  all  natures  in  which 
conscience  and  intellect  hold  indestructible  places. 
To  respect,  to  admire,  to  adore  freely  and  utterly,  is 
the  dearest  joy  of  which  they  are  capable.  That 
which  they  worship  must  be  pure  and  spotless,  or 
their  devotion  vanishes,  and  secret  pity,  if  not  con- 
tempt, takes  its  place.  If  they  find  their  idol  in  the 
dust,  or  discover  earth-stains  upon  it,  the  real  chain 
which  bound  them  breaks,  though  their  hearts  break 
with  it.  They  love  with  their  souls ;  and  their  souls 
must  be  satisfied. 

Christie  and  Tom  were  one  day  to  learn  how  akin 
they  were  in  this  matter ;  that  the  love  of  each  must 


136  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

be  fed  from  a  higher  source  than  mere  animal  gratifi- 
cation, sentiment,  even  emotion,  or  it  dies.  This  is, 
to  such  natures,  the  real  death :  the  physical  dissolu- 
tion which  follows  sooner  or  later  is  to  them  of  little 
consequence.  I  hold  Tom  Archer,  bereft  of  all  hope 
and  joy,  to  have  been  a  thrice  fortunate  and  happy 
being,  in  that  he  could  absolutely  respect  the  person 
he  loved. 

He  himself  realized  this  so  thoroughly,  that  he 
could  meet  Christie  an  hour  or  two  after  with  no 
bitterness  in  his  sore  heart,  or  in  his  grave,  quiet  man- 
ner. Dark  days  were  to  roll  over  Christie's  head,  and 
a  weary  road  was  to  be  traversed,  before  she  could 
comprehend  him  as  he  comprehended  her ;  before  she 
could  attain  such  clearness  of  sight.  At  present,  she 
did  him  all  the  passionate  injustice  of  an  undisci- 
plined heart  and  an  inexperienced  brain. 

As  soon  as  he  left  her,  she  ran  swiftly  up  stairs, 
and,  locking  herself  hi  her  room,  threw  herself  upon 
the  bed  in  a  burst  of  weeping,  which  arose  partly 
from  nervous  re-action,  but  still  more  from  the  pain 
of  the  first  shock  her  faith  had  ever  received.  That 
Tom  should  fail  her,  and  fall  so  far  below  what  she 
thought  him,  —  if  that  could  be,  what  else  might  not 
give  way  at  any  moment  ?  In  her  temporary  depres- 
sion, she  felt  as  though  every  thing  were  slipping 
from  her  grasp.  It  was  her  first  lesson  in  distrust ; 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  137 

and  she  found  it  very,  very  hard.  Utter  doubt  of 
God  and  man  was  the  creed  she  was  destined  to  learn 
with  terrible  thoroughness,  and  then,  thank  Heaven  ! 
to  unlearn  forever. 

She  lay  there,  sad  and  half  sick,  until  she  suddenly 
remembered  Reginald  would  soon  come,  and  that  she 
must  go  down  to  meet  him. 

She  started  up  hastily  to  bathe  her  eyes  and  to 
wash  away  the  traces  of  her  tears.  The  thought 
that  Reginald  might  demand  the  cause  of  her  emo- 
tion, and  in  some  way  gain  a  hint  of  the  subject  of 
the  conversation  between  Tom  and  herself,  made  her 
blush  with  shame.  She  shrank  from  having  the  idea 
of  money  suggested  between  them,  even  as  the 
thought  of  another.  She  wished  to  save  Reginald 
from  the  knowledge  that  his  brother  had  stooped  so 
far,  as  well  as  to  shield  their  love  from  even  the 
shadow  of  a  mercenary  consideration. 

So  she  bathed  and  perfumed  and  powdered  her 
face,  with  an  industry  and  earnestness  which  were 
piteously  amusing  when  one  considered  their  object. 

She  succeeded  quite  well  in  her  purpose,  but  not 
so  thoroughly  as  to  deceive  the  acute  eyes  of  either 
brother  when  the  three  met  at  the  dinner-table. 
Tom  did  not  need  any  explanation  of  what  he  saw 
before  him :  he  well  knew  what  had  produced  this 
effect,  and  a  certain  quiet  change  in  her  manner 


138  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

towards  him.  He  had  counted  on  its  coming,  and 
was  neither  surprised  nor  outwardly  discomposed  at 
its  appearance.  As  for  Reginald,  having  an  infinite 
disgust  for  scenes  except  of  a  certain  sort,  and  per- 
ceiving very  soon  that  her  emotion,  whatever  might 
be  its  cause,  did  not  refer  to  him  or  endanger  his 
chances  of  her  fortune,  he  systematically  took  no 
notice,  and  sedulously  avoided  the  bore  of  an  expla- 
nation. The  tender  anxiety  and  jealous  scrutiny  of 
a  true  lover  Christie  had  not  greatly  to  fear,  though 
she  had  taken  such  vast  pains  to  blind  them. 

A  somewhat  keener  insight  into  human  nature 
might  have  spared  her  exertion,  both  in  these  days 
and  those  which  immediately  followed  them. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

~T~  LOYD  TRUXTON  dined  with  the  Archers  that 
-J— ^  evening;  and  the  final  arrangements  for  the 
wedding  were  discussed  and  decided  upon. 

In  consideration  of  Christie's  mourning,  it  was  to 
be  a  quiet  affair.  Only  a  few  old  friends  were  invited 
to  the  wedding-breakfast ;  after  which  the  bride  and 
groom  were  to  go  off  on  a  tour  of  sufficient  length  to 
give  time  for  furnishing  the  magnificent  residence 
which  Reginald  had  secured  as  their  future  home. 
Ellen  and  Lloyd  were  to  act  as  bridesmaid  and 
groomsman,  greatly  to  the  satisfaction  of  each ;  and 
the  planning  of  the  small  details  of  the  occasion  kept 
all  those  personally  interested  occupied  and  eager, 
full  of  business  and  conversation,  for  hours. 

Tom  sat  silently  by,  apparently  listening,  but 
really  thinking  his  own  weary  thoughts.  The  work 
of  the  past  week  was  very  evident  upon  the  face  thus 
left  open  for  scrutiny.  Accidentally  glancing  to- 
wards him,  Christie  recognized  for  the  first  time  how 
worn  and  haggard  was  his  appearance.  She  had  no 

189 


140  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

idea  of  the  real  cause  :  but  she  felt  that  the  outbreak 
of  the  afternoon  must  have  additionally  depressed 
an  anxious,  troubled  man ;  and  she  repented  having 
added  a  burden  he  was  evidently  ill  able  to  bear. 
Looking  at  him  again  and  again,  her  womanly  heart 
softened  and  melted.  He  had  sorely  disappointed 
her.  In  her  childish  ignorance  of  life  and  of  his 
motives,  she  imagined  that  he  had  fallen  forever  in 
her  estimation  ;  but  she  was  sorry  she  had  hurt  him. 
From  the  spirit  of  what  she  had  said,  she  did  not 
waver  in  the  least ;  she  had  no  shadow  of  regret  on 
that  point :  there  was  but  one  course  open  to  her  in 
the  matter,  and  she  had  taken  it.  But  she  wished 
now  that  she  had  put  her  meaning  into  less  vehement 
words ;  that  she  had  been  less  violent  and  personal 
in  her  reply.  While  he  was  eagerly  urging  his 
proposition,  she  thought  only  of  resisting  it  by  any 
and  all  means :  now  she  witnessed  their  effect  with 
pain,  and  began  to  wish  for  some  method  of  recon- 
ciliation. 

The  arrangements  had  apparently  been  completed, 
when  a  thought  struck  Maria. 

"  By  the  way,  who  is  to  give  away  the  bride  ?  We 
haven't  decided  that  yet." 

"  Why,  Tom,  of  course,"  answered  Lloyd.  "  He 
is  so  entirely  the  proper  person,  that  I  never  thought 
of  questioning  it."  .* 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  141 

At  the  words,  three  of  his  hearers  made  sudden 
movements. 

Tom  awoke,  as  it  were,  and  gave  a  quick,  vehe- 
ment gesture  of  dissent. 

Reginald  turned  towards  him  with  a  curious 
expression  of  countenance,  but,  for  the  moment, 
said  nothing.  He  never  wantonly  hurt  Tom,  —  the 
only  person  in  the  world  he  hesitated  to  trample 
upon  for  his  slightest  convenience.  His  sentiment 
towards  his  brother,  though  one  of  purely  mental  ap- 
preciation, was  evidently  his  nearest  approach  to  an 
emotion.  His  acuteness  was  such,  that,  heartless 
himself,  he  comprehended  perfectly  what  the  situa- 
tion must  be  to  a  man  who  possessed  a  heart.  He 
had  taken  the  woman  Tom  loved  from  him  because 
he  held  her  necessary  to  himself ;  but  he  had  no  wish 
to  do  his  brother  any  petty  injury,  or  to  aggravate 
the  misery  of  his  position  if  he  could  well  afford  to 
avoid  it.  Consequently,  Reginald  remained  silent, 
and  did  not  immediately  throw  his  influence  in  the 
scale  against  Tom. 

Christie  had  also  turned  eagerly,  and  now  spoke 
out  earnestly  in  reply  to  the  negative  gesture. 

"  O  Tom !  I  am  sure  you  will  do  it  for  us,"  she 
exclaimed,  coming  up  to  him,  delighted  to  have  a 
chance  to  speak  kindly,  to  make  friends  with  him 
again.  "  There  is  no  one  in  the  world  I  should  like 


142  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

so  well  to  do  that  service  for  me.  I  have  none  of 
my  own  blood  to  call  upon,  and  not  a  friend  in  the 
city  outside  of  this  house,"  she  added  rather  pite- 
ously. 

"  Why,  Tom,  I  can't  imagine  how  you  can  hesi- 
tate in  the  matter  !  "  said  Maria  almost  impatiently. 

"  I  am  not  accustomed  to  making  public  appear- 
ances ;  I  should  probably  spoil  the  artistic  effect  of 
your  arrangements,"  he  answered  with  rather  a  bitter 
smile.  "  You  had  better  have  some  one  more  used  to 
such  things.  Reginald  has  plenty  of  fine  friends, 
jtfith  Commanding  figures  and  sonorous  voices,  who 
would  be  glad  to  serve  him  on  the  occasion." 

"How  can  you  talk  so?"  exclaimed  Maria. 
"  They  are  not  Christie's  friends,  and  would  be  en- 
tirely out  of  plade.  It  is  your  proper  position  ;  and 
it  will  look  very  singular  if  you  do  not  fill  it." 

"  Tom,  I  am  sure  you  won't  refuse,"  Christie  broke 
in  again,  "  when  you  recollect  that  it  is  the  last 
request  I  shall  make  of  you." 

The  blood  flushed  up  into  the  man's  face  at  the 
words  and  the  pleading  tone  in  which  they  were 
uttered.  He  wavered  visibly. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  have  to  oblige  us  in  this 
matter,"  said  Reginald  at  last.  "  The  family  honor 
requires  it,  and  you  will  have  to  lay  another  sacrifice 
upon  the  altar  of  duty."  He  laughed  slightly  as 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  143 

he  spoke,  but,  nevertheless,  watched  his  brotner 
closely. 

"  Well,"  said  Tom  hastily,  "  I  suppose  it  must  be 
so."  And  then  he  gave  that  slight  movement  with 
his  hand  which  he  so  often  used  to  prevent  further 
discussion  of  a  subject. 

"  They  thus  understood  it ;  for  after  Christie  had 
said  pleasantly,  "  Thank  you,  Tom ;  we  are  both 
very  much  obliged  to  you,"  they  returned  to  their 
old  places  and  previous  conversation. 

The  wedding-presents  which  Reginald  Archer  re- 
ceived within  the  two  days  preceding  his  marriage 
were  a  sight  to  witness.  They  were  so  numerous  and 
magnificent,  that  even  that  self-complacent  gentleman 
was  astonished.  Each  person  felt  called  upon  to 
send  something  in  proportion,  not  to  Reginald's  past 
status,  but  to  his  coming  splendor.  On  such  occa- 
sions, the  gifts  seem  to  be  graded  in  exact  inverse 
ratio  to  the  needs  of  the  recipient.  The  fashionable 
world  is  far  too  pious  not  to  follow  the  biblical 
example  of  giving,  to  him  who  has  ten  talents,  ten 
other  talents ;  and  of  taking,  from  him  who  has  none, 
even  that  which  he  has.  Reginald  had  passed  from 
'the  latter  position  to  the  former,  and  was  receiving 
appropriately-different  treatment.  If  his  kind  friends 
had  presented  him  with  the  equivalent  cash,  he 
might  have  lived  upon  it  in  luxury  for  a  long  period. 


144  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

Except  that  the  wedding-ceremony  seemed  the  only 
key  to  the  coffers  of  his  acquaintances,  he  might 
have  made  friendship,  instead  of  matrimony,  his 
means  of  support.  The  magnetism  of  his  coming 
wealth,  and  the  force  of  fashion,  had  drawn  gold 
from  pockets  which  would  have  been  very  securely 
fastened  against  all  other  extractive  powers. 

There  is  nothing  in  which  the  inherent  snobbishness 
of  human  nature  is  more  fully  exemplified  than  in 
this  matter  of  wedding-presents.  On  other  occasions, 
the  same  principle  is,  no  doubt,  equally  active  ;  but  it 
does  not  equally  prank  itself  up,  and  attract  attention 
by  assuming  airs  and  graces.  Ordinarily,  it  puts  on 
its  apron,  as  it  were,  and  does  its  dirty  work  at  home  ; 
but  on  such  holiday-times  it  arrays  itself  in  gorgeous 
apparel,  and  seems  to  cry,  "  Come  and  look  at  me  as 
I  go  through  my  genuflexions  and  offer  my  prayers 
and  my  gifts  at  the  altar  of  Mammon !  "  Few  wed- 
dings, indeed,  take  place,  at  which  a  sermon  might 
not  be  preached,  and  a  satire  spoken,  over  the 
presents. 

Reginald  perceived  the  satire,  if  not  the  sermon,  in 
his  own  case. 

An  offering  of  unusual  magnificence  had  been* 
brought  in,  and,  after  much  girlish  admiration,  had 
been  carried  off  to  be  put  among  the  other  gifts. 
Reginald  watched  the  departing  present  with  the 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  145 

queer  smile  which  so  often  found  place  in  his  eyes. 
Glancing,  a  moment  after,  towards  Tom,  the  only  other 
occupant  of  the  room,  he  saw  the  shadow  of  his  own 
thought  in  his  brother's  face. 

Reginald  broke  out  into  delighted  laughter, 
charmed,  as  he  always  was,  at  their  mutual  recogni- 
tion of  the  humor  of  any  situation.  He  declared 
Tom  was  the  only  person  he  could  securely  count 
upon  to  see  the  fun  of  any  thing.  He  saved  his 
brightest  sayings  for  him,  and,  if  he  fell  into  a  good 
thing  in  talking  to  any  one  else,  felt  that  it  had  not 
fulfilled  its  mission  until  he  had  repeated  it  to  Tom, 
had  seen  his  mouth  twitch  with  appreciation,  and 
received  his  dry  comment  in  reply. 

"  Tom,"  he  said  after  a  moment,  "  do  you  remem- 
ber that  instructive  little  incident  in  the  history  of 
Job,  — how,  after  he  had  fought  through  all  his  poverty 
and  troubles,  and  become  richer  and  more  prosperous 
than  ever,  then,  and  not  until  then,  his  friends  and 
relations  came  to  see  him,  and  brought  each  man  of 
them  a  piece  of  money  and  an  ear-ring  of  gold  ?  I 
have  always  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  finest  touches 
of  truth  to  human  nature  in  all  literature.  It  really 
is  remarkable  to  perceive,  not  only  how  little  human- 
ity has  altered,  but  how  perfectly  this  charming  cus- 
tom has  been  preserved  to  the  present  day." 

And   he  went   off  into  soft  inward  laughter,   as 

7 


146  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

though  rolling  his  amusement  like  a  sweet  morsel 
under  his  tongue. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Tom  rather  grimly,  "  I  can  un- 
understand  your  appreciation  of  Job's  feelings  on 
that  occasion." 

"  Precisely,"  returned  the  other.  "  Why,  the  very 
man  who  sent  that  present  slipped  out  of  the  club 
not  a  month  ago  to  avoid  meeting  me,  for  fear  I 
should  ask  him  to  lend  me  money !  —  which  was  so 
much  unnecessary  exertion  on  his  part ;  for  you  know, 
Tom,"  —  and  here  Reginald's  eyes  twinkled,  and  his 
voice  broke  again  into  laughter,  — "  that  I  almost 
always  gave  you  the  preference  on  such  occasions, 
and  seldom  hurt  your  feelings  by  turning  to  stran- 
gers." 

"No,"  responded  his  brother  somewhat  sardoni- 
cally :  "  it  must  be  admitted,  that,  in  that  matter  at 
least,  you  have  faithfully  stood  by  your  family." 

"  Well,  never  mind,  old  fellow !  all  that  will  be 
over  when  I  am  married,"  Reginald  exclaimed  care- 
lessly. 

The  change  that  came  over  Tom's  face,  though 
faint,  was  so  expressive  of  the  throb  at  his  heart,  that 
even  this  selfish,  self-absorbed  man  recognized  it,  and 
hesitated  before  it.  He  quickly  returned  to  the  sub- 
ject they  had  been  discussing. 

"  Would  you  believe   it  ?  —  one   of  those   silver 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  147 

pitchers  came  from  a  person,  who,  not  a  long  while 
since,  got  up  and  left  the  room  because  I  trod  on  his 
moral  toes !  I  thought  that  right  enough,  if  he  did 
not  like  my  way  of  thinking  and  talking ;  but  it 
strikes  me  as  a  little  peculiar  that  he  should  recognize 
so  suddenly  my  merits  and  my  claims.  It  is  a  pleas- 
ant, consistent  world  we  live  in,"  he  wound  up  with 
radiant  good  temper  and  charmed  sense  of  humor 
over  that  which  would  have  caused  a  deeper-natured 
man  to  sigh,  or  to  smile  bitterly. 

"  If  I  had  known  the  extent  to  which  my  friends' 
purses  were  at  my  service,  it  would  scarcely  have 
been  necessary  for  me  to  marry  as  a  provision  in 
life,"  he  was  about  to  exclaim  in  gay  mockery ;  but, 
suddenly  remembering  to  whom  he  was  speaking,  he 
caught  himself  in  time  not  to  thrust  his  marriage 
and  its  mercenary  motive  again  in  Tom's  face,  and  so 
let  the  subject  drop. 


CHAPTER    XH. 

MARIA,  Ellen,  and  Arnold  had  each  given 
Christie  gifts,  bought,  of  course,  with  Tom's 
money,  and,  at  his  express  private  injunction,  as  hand- 
some as  could  be  procured. 

But,  as  yet,  he  had  given  her  nothing  in  his  own 
name. 

The  night  before  the  marriage,  he  entered  the  par- 
lor with  a  small  box,  held  almost  hidden  in  the  palm 
of  his  hand.  Maria,  Ellen,  and  Lloyd  Truxton,  were 
leaning  upon  the  piano,  upon  which  some  newly- 
arrived  presents  had  been  placed  ;  while  upon  a  sofa, 
at  a  little  distance,  sat  Christie  and  Reginald. 

The  girl  was  looking  up  at  her  lover  with  a  pure, 
tender  adoration  in  the  sweet  eyes,  that  a  man  with 
a  heart  and  a  conscience  might  willingly  have  spent 
a  lifetime  in  striving  to  deserve.  As  it  was,  the  per- 
son to  whom  it  was  directed  received  it  with  outward 
tranquillity.  Numberless  eyes  had  looked  what  they 
called  love  into  his:  hot  glances  and  long  burning 
gazes  he  had  drunk  hi  like  fiery  wine ;  but  their  heat 

148 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  149 

and  brilliancy  were  caught  from  a  far  different  flame, 
—  from  hell-fire,  rather  than  heaven's  light.  He 
remembered  them  as  he  sat  there,  and  drew  the 
comparison  for  himself ;  and,  doing  so,  calmly  and 
deliberately  decided  that  he  preferred  the  lurid  glare 
to  the  soft  sunshine  then  being  shed  upon  him. 

"  Fresh  air  is  certainly  not  my  native  atmosphere, 
and  I  must  have  something  to  drink  with  a  little 
more  taste  in  it  than  pure  water,"  he  thought,  ac- 
knowledging to  himself  his  entire  unfitness  for  any 
wholesome,  natural  life. 

"  This  nurseriness  is  certainly  very  pretty,  and  I 
suppose  there  are  persons  who  would  find  it  agree- 
able ;  but  really  it  is  too  much,  or  rather  too  little, 
for  me."  And  he  mentally  yawned  in  unutterable 
weariness. 

But,  with  practical  good  sense,  he  fell  to  regarding 
the  material  compensations  of  his  marriage,  and  took 
comfort.  Thus  doing,  he  looked  down  at  the  girl  so 
near  him  with  an  ineffable  expression,  which  left  her 
nothing  to  wish  for  on  this  side  of  heaven. 

Tom  entered,  and  saw  them  before  him. 

He  had  need  to  be  the  strong  man  he  was  to  en- 
able him  to  walk  quietly  up  to  them,  and  speak  in  his 
usual  straightforward  manner.  His  brother's  pres- 
ence suited  him,  as  that  which  he  had  to  say  was 
intended  as  pointedly  for  the  man  as  for  the  girl ; 


150  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

and  he  wished  both  to  remember  his  words  and  his 
meaning. 

They  looked  up  as  he  stood  before  them.  , 

"  Christie,"  he  said,  "  I  have  brought  you  a  little 
gift.  I  want  you  to  wear  it,  and,  when  you  look  at 
it,  to  remember  me,  and  my  promise  to  be  your  true 
brother  under  all  circumstances." 

As  he  finished  speaking,  his  glance  left  Chris- 
tie ;  and  he  and  his  brother  looked  straight  at  each 
other. 

"  Recollect,  this  girl,  alone  and  friendless  as  she 
seems,  has  one  head  and  hand  enlisted  for  ever  in  her 
service ;  and,  for  your  acts  towards  her,  you  will  have 
to  reckon  with  them,"  was  what  Tom's  look  said,  as 
plainly  as  words  could  have  put  it. 

An  almost  imperceptible  movement  of  Reginald's 
eyes  seemed  to  sign  the  contract ;  to  answer,  — 

"  I  am  aware  of  the  fact,  and  I  accept  the  condi- 
tion." 

"  I  do  not  require  the  presence  of  any  gift  to  keep 
me  in  mind  of  all  your  kindness,  Tom,"  Christie 
exclaimed  quickly,  unconscious  of  look  or  meaning 
other  than  appeared  on  the  surface. 

Then  she  sprang  up,  and  came  under  the  chande- 
lier to  see  what  the  small  parcel  contained.  The 
rest  gathered  eagerly  around  her,  curious  to  know 
what  Tom  had  brought. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  151 

As  she  lifted  the  top  of  the  box,  the  light  flashed 
upon  a  diamond  cross,  of  such  size  and  beauty  that 
the  whole  party  broke  out  in  one  half-inarticulate 
exclamation  of  surprise  and  admiration.  Even  Regi- 
nald was  startled  out  of  his  tranquil  toleration  of 
things  in  general. 

"  It  is  perfectly  beautiful !  "  he  said.  "  Upon  my 
word,  Tom,  you  give  en  prince.  But  you  always  did 
that,"  he  added  with  magnificent  but  somewhat 
cheap  gratitude,  considering  their  past  monetary 
relations. 

"  Tom,  I  never  saw  any  thing  so  lovely  in  my 
life!"  cried  Christie,  with  eyes  as  brilliant  as  the 
jewels  from  which  she  looked  up.  "  I  don't  know 
how  to  thank  you." 

She  made  a  slight  step  forward,  as  though  with 
some  idea  of  expressing  by  a  kiss  that  which  she  did 
not  know  how  to  put  into  words :  but  Tom  turned 
slightly  from  her,  as  though  unconscious  of  her 
intention ;  and  she  fell  back  with  the  same  sense  of 
repulse  she  had  experienced  several  times  during  the 
preceding  week. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  pleased,"  he  rejoined  with  that 
.  weary  quietude  which  had  become  his  habitual  man- 
ner.    "  I  like  diamonds,  not  only  because  they  are  so 
bright   and   clear,  but  because   nothing  can  render 
them  otherwise;  because  no  contact  with  impurity 


152  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

can  make  them  impure.  I  sometimes  wonder,  when 
I  look  at  persons,"  —  he  added  slowly,  as  though  he 
were  speaking  more  to  himself  than  to  them,  and 
looking  at  Christie,  in  spite  of  himself,  with  the 
wistful  questioning  of  an  infinite  sadness  and  tender- 
ness, which  must  have  given  the  girl  some  hint  of  his 
secret,  had  she  not  been  wrapped  in  an  enchanted 
dream,  — "  whether  they  are  like  snow,  which  is 
merely  fair  and  white  until  soil  touches  it,  and  amal- 
gamates with  it ;  or  whether  they  are  like  diamonds, 
which  nothing  can  really  contaminate.  This  is  the 
one  dreadful  doubt  in  life,  and  seems  to  me  the 
great,  essential  difference  between  persons." 

And  this  time  he  turned  quickly  and  entirely  away 
with  what  would  have  been  a  shuddering  sigh,  had 
he  not  stopped  it  almost  before  it  had  birth. 

"  They  remind  me  of  dewdrops,"  said  Ellen,  taking 
them  in  her  hand,  and  looking  very  prettily  senti- 
mental over  them;  while  she  was  thinking  in  her 
secret  heart  how  devoutly  she  hoped  Tom  would  see 
fit  to  present  her  with  something  equally  splendid 
when  she  came  to  be  married,  or  sooner,  if  he  thought 
proper. 

"  I  am  glad  he  has  given  her  such  a  handsome 
present ;  for  now  he  can't  do  less,  and  he  will  prob- 
ably do  more,  for  his  own  sister,"  she  meditated. 

Ellen's  mind  was  of  an  eminently  practical  cast, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  153 

and  enabled  her  to  escape  unpleasant  pangs  of 
jealousy  by  a  fine,  far-reaching  perception  of  her  own 
interest. 

"  They  remind  me  of  tears,  —  a  cross  of  tears,"  said 
Maria  softly,  almost  under  her  breath. 

"  Maria,  hush ! "  exclaimed  Tom,  as  though  she 
hurt  him,  "  or  you  will  make  me  regard  my  gift  as 
an  evil  omen,  and  wish  to  take  it  back." 

"No,"  said  Christie  earnestly,  —  and  this  time  she 
put  out  her  hand  steadily  to  Tom,  —  "I  shall  wear  it 
without  any  fear,  dear  Tom  ;  for  it  will  always  have 
the  association  you  have  given  it :  it  will  mean  to  me 
a  purity  which  can  dread  no  assimilation  with  evil, 
because  it  has  nothing  in  common  with  evil." 

Gazing  at  the  girl's  face  with  its  radiant  courage  of 
perfect  innocence,  but,  alas  !  of  perfect  ignorance  also, 
the  fear  at  Tom's  heart  passed  away  for  a  moment. 
But  he  had  learned  the  awful  power  of  companion- 
ship ;  and  the  dread  of  what  she  must  almost  inevi- 
tably become,  through  breathing  Reginald's  moral 
atmosphere,  soon  resumed  its  dominion  over  him. 
It  held  its  sway ;  when  he  answered  with  a  grave 
sadness,  — 

"  If  it  retain  that  meaning  for  you,  Christie,  I  shall 
indeed  think  I  have  given  you  a  good  gift ;  but,  if 
the  talisman  lose  its  power,  I  warn  you  I  shall  know 
it  even  sooner  than  you  do,"  he  added  suddenly,  so 

7* 


154  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

full  of  his  own  thoughts,  that  he  forgot  she  could  not 
follow  them  nor  his  intention. 

The  girl's  puzzled  look  of  astonishment  brought 
him  back  to  himself. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  frighten  you,  my  dear,"  he 
said,  the  red  blood  coming  into  his.  face  as  he  saw- 
Christie's  slight  shrinking  and  Reginald's  glance  of 
comprehension ;  "  but  I  shall  be  very  glad  if  my  cross 
will  bring  back  a  recollection  of  me  and  as  many  good 
thoughts  as  can  come  with  it.  Good-night!  "  he  con- 
cluded, in  comprehensive  adieu  to  the  party,  and  left 
the  room. 

The  rest  soon  followed,  leaving  Reginald  and 
Christie  together  to  take  their  last  parting  before 
they  twain  should  be  one  flesh. 

"  I  shall  say  good-night  to  you  now,  darling ;  for 
you  must  go  to  sleep  very  soon,  as  you  will  have  a 
fatiguing  day  to-morrow,  and  will  need  all  your 
strength,"  Reginald  said  in  a  very  few  minutes,  in 
apparent  tender  consideration  for  her,  and  in  real 
consideration  for  himself. 

He  was  weary  with  acting,  with  keeping  up  appear- 
ances before  her :  moreover,  he  wanted  to  go  down  to 
the  club  and  meet  some  friends. 

"  It  is  the  last  time  we  shall  have  to  part,  dearest," 
he  whispered  as  he  took  her  in  his  arms ;  and  the 
face  upon  his  breast  crimsoned  with  happy  blushes. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  155 

"  By  to-morrow  night  you  will  be  my  precious  little 
wife,  and  we  need  never  separate." 

"  The  tone,  and  quick,  passionate  pressure  as  he 
spoke,  were  triumphs  of  dramatic  instinct ;  of  a  cer- 
tain intellectual  fidelity  which  led  him  to  omit  no 
point  he  considered  in  character.  He  satisfied  his 
own  taste  and  critical  judgment,  and  mentally  fur- 
nished his  own  applause,  doing  his  work  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  a  true  artist. 

"Reginald,"  said  Christie  a  moment  after,  raising - 
her  head  in  her  impetuous  fashion,  and  speaking  with 
a  hurried  breathlessness  which  showed  her  embarrass- 
ment and  difficulty  in  putting  her  meaning  into 
words,  "  I  am  afraid,  that,  when  I  am  your  wife,  you 
will  be  miserably  disappointed  in  me.  You  are  so 
utterly  beyond  me  in  every  thing,  so  noble  and  grand 
and  good,  that  I  can  never  be  like  you.  But  I  will 
try  very  hard  :  and  oh  !  my  darling,  be  patient  with 
me  ;  for  I  love  you  so  dearly,  so  dearly ! " 

The  tr-ust  and  faith,  the  almost  divine  aspiration, 
that  was  in  the  uplifted  face,  silenced  even  Reginald 
Archer.  He  saw,  like  a  revelation,  just  what  her 
coming  life  must  be :  he  comprehended  just  what 
ho  seemed  to  her  now,  and  how  his  real  character 
and  past  life  would  strike  her  when  she  saw  them  in 
their  true  light.  Sucli  was  his  perception,  that  he 
understood  a  situation  and  a  nature  with  neither  of 


156  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

which  he  had  any  thing  in  common ;  and,  doing  so, 
there  came  over  him  the  nearest  approach  to  the  emo- 
tion of  pity  of  which  he  was  capable. 

That  the  virtue  of  the  woman  before  him  was 
radical,  that  no  temptation  could  shake  it,  he  did  not 
think,  believing  it  true  of  no  woman  under  the  sun  ; 
but  he  saw  that  she  was  as  yet  utterly  ignorant  of 
evil,  and  he  knew  that  the  tremendous  shock  of  being 
brought  into  personal  contact  with  sin  in  any  being 
she  loved  would  inevitably  come  upon  her.  As  Tom 
had  said,  years  before,  he  was  "  to  give  his  wife  her 
first  lesson  in  actual  evil."  He  recognized  the  fact, 
that  her  sudden,  close  introduction  to  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil,  incarnated  in  him,  would  be  a 
trying  ordeal,  a  revolution  in  all  her  preconceived 
ideas.  That  she  would  settle  down  to  circumstances, 
and,  incited  by  his  past  and  present  example,  learn 
to  join  hands  with  that  trinity  in  pleasant  good-fel- 
lowship, he  had  no  doubt ;  but  he  was  quite  sorry 
for  what  she  must  first  go  through,  regretting  the 
necessity  as  he  did  that  of  all  disturbing  occurrences. 
This  conviction,  that  her  shock  and  scruples  would 
soon  pass  away,  and  her  life  and  character  rapidly 
approximate  to  a  comfortable  level  with  his.  own, 
almost  instantly  re-assured  him :  so  with  a  kiss,  and 
the  sweetest  tranquillity  of  mind  and  manner,  he 
answered,  — 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  157 

"  My  little  pet  will  not  try  my  patience,  I  am  sure. 
I  am  not  at  all  alarmed  on  the  subject." 

"  It  is  no  use  to  open  any  discussion  in  the  mat- 
ter," he  thought,  "  even  if  I  could  mention  such  things 
to  her,  and  if  I  could  afford  to  tell  her  the  truth. 
She  would  comprehend  it  too  little  to  prepare  her  for 
the  realization  which  must  come ;  and,  indeed,  I  can- 
not afford  the  risk,  as  it  is  quite  possible  she  might 
refuse  to  marry  me  even  now.  There  is  really  no 
measuring  the  folly  of  what  they  call  good  women  ; 
and,  ignorance  being  bliss  in  this  as  in  most  cases,  I 
certainly  shall  not  deprive  her  of  the  blessing  sooner 
than  is  necessary." 

He  fell  back  upon  mute  caresses  as  the  safest  mode 
of  communication  under  the  circumstances ;  and 
finally,  with  a  kiss  and  a  few  appropriately  sweet 
words  of  adieu,  left  her. 

The  girl  went  to  her  chamber  to  offer  up  pure,  lov- 
ing prayers  for  him  before  she  fell  into  her  childlike 
slumber ;  and  he,  lighting  a  cigar,  walked  slowly 
down  to  his  club,  thinking  coolly  and  philosophically 
of  the  scene  he  had  just  left. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  he  calmly  considered,  "  it  is  a 
rather  hard  case  when  a  woman  supposes  she  is  marry- 
ing a  saint,  and  discovers  afterwards  that  he  is  a  sin- 
ner; when  she  imagines  she  is  allying  herself  with 
one  man,  and  finds  herself  tied  for  life  to  an  entirely 


158  .  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

different  person.  It  never  struck  me  before;  for 
most  of  the  women  I  have  known  have  had  too 
much  experimental  knowledge  to  be  capable  of  any 
delusions  on  the  subject.  But,  for  any  one  as  igno- 
rant of  ordinary  existence  as  this  girl,  the  enlighten- 
ment which  such  a  marriage  brings  must  be  rather 
overwhelming,"  he  went  on  with  that  interest  and 
impartial  justice  with  which  he  viewed  any  fresh 
problem.  "  If  a  man  were  to  make  the  same  dis- 
covery, I  suppose  he  would  feel  called  upon  to  shoot 
her  or  himself :  if  he  found  out  that  she  had  taken 
even  one  step  upon  the  path  I  have  always  trodden, 
he  would  have  the  whole  world  sympathizing  with 
his  wounded  honor,  and  justifying  him  in  any  de- 
gree of  abhorrence  and  vengeance.  He  would  prob- 
aUy  send  her  to  the  right-about,  as  though  con- 
taminating his  name  and  station,  even  though  he 
had  committed  the  same  sin  himself  countless 
times ;  whereas,  if  this  poor  child  complains  of  my 
past  life,  and  allows  it  to  affect  her  conduct  to- 
wards me,  she  will  be  laughed  at  for  her  pains,  and 
considered  a  morbidly  sentimental  young  person. 
What  a  farce  it  all  is ! "  and  the  soft,  sweet  laughter, 
which  was  one  of  Reginald  Archer's  chief  charms, 
stirred  the  quiet  night.  "  Both  the  girl  and  the  man 
would,  according  to  my  way  of  thinking,  be  fools  to 
expect  any  tiling  but  what  they  found,  or  to  care 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  159 

particularly  on  the  subject ;  but  I  really  can't  see 
what  greater  right  of  complaint  one  has  than  the 
other." 

And  then  he  smoked  his  cigar  quietly  for  some 
time,  in  a  state  of  gentle  resignation  at  his  inability 
to  square  his  perceptions  with  generally-accepted 
social  tenets. 

Like  most  selfish  men,  he  disliked  the  sight  of 
pain,  as  unpleasant  to  himself ;  and  the  fact  that  his 
wife,  whom  he  must  see  more  or  less,  would,  for  a 
time,  be  miserable,  and  show  it,  gave  him  an  un- 
doubted sense  of  discomfort. 

"  This  marriage  of  mine  is  absurdly  incongruous," 
he  thought,  with  mingled  amusement  and  faint 
annoyance.  "  It  is  a  pity  I  could  not  let  Tom  have 
her ;  or  that  I  could  not  afford,  pecuniarily  or  socially, 
to  marry  a  woman  on  my  own  moral  level.  Gertrude 
would  really  have  suited  me  much  better,  for  she 
could  have  taken  care  of  herself;  and  there  was  no 
special  contrast  between  our  lives  and  characters," 
he  went  on,  alluding  to  his  mistress  of  the  year 
before,  —  a  woman  who  had  spent  her  life  on  hire  at 
so  much  a  mouth,  for  the  sake  of  a  finer  dress,  a 
better  dinner,  a  softer  bed,  and  an  idler  existence, 
than  she  could  have  gained  by  any  honest  alliance  in 
her  own  low  station. 

"  We  certainly  had  far  more  in  common,  both  in 


160  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

taste  and  experience,  than  Christie  and  I  can  have 
for  a  long  time  to  come  ;  but  I  suppose  society  would 
have  held  up  its  hands  in  horror  at  my  legal  connec- 
tion with  such  a  woman,  though  it  winked  comforta- 
bly at  my  illegal  one.  However,  I  have  no  idea  of 
suffering  martyrdom  for  women  here,  whatever  may 
come  hereafter  :  so  I  marry  money  and  position,  and 
let  the  future  take  care  of  itself.  Christie  will  soon 
get  over  her  inexperience,  and  console  herself  like 
other  women ;  especially  as  I  shall  be  neither  so 
selfish  nor  so  unfair  as  to  prevent  her  from  enjoying 
any  of  the  privileges  or  pleasures  I  have  claimed  for 
myself,  and  found  so  agreeable." 

With  this  reflection,  and  the  calm  satisfaction  of  the 
just,  he  went  up  the  steps  of  the  club-house,  and 
disappeared  within,  to  spend  the  last  hours  of  the 
evening  with  his  intimate  associates. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

CHRISTIE  M AC AL ASTER'S  wedding-day  rose 
V_y  as  fair  and  unclouded  as  her  outward  beauty 
and  inward  happiness.  The  golden  sunshine  of  the 
morning  bathed  all  things  in  glory,  and  roused  all 
nature  to  life  and  joy.  The  birds  sang  ;  the  sum- 
mer breezes  stole  through  the  trees,  whose  leafy  tops 
swayed  towards  each  other,  and  seemed  to  murmur 
love  songs  and  secrets  in  their  soft  cadences.  All 
tokens  were  in  keeping  with  the  appearance  of  this 
marriage,  which  youth,  beauty,  wealth,  health,  and 
hope  united  to  render  brilliant.  It  seemed  an  ideally 
perfect  union :  what  it  was,  time  would  show. 

The  world,  at  least,  appeared  to  consider  the  match 
a  most  suitable  one<,  and  smiled  upon  and  congratu- 
lated the  fortunate  pair,  in  whom  all  the  elements 
of  happiness  were  conjoined. 

One  man  alone  seemed  to  remember  that  purity 
and  honor  could  not  sit  at  this  wedding-feast ;  that  a 
sinful  past  must  hold  place  there,  casting  its  shadow 
not  merely  over  the  present,  but  far  into  the  future. 

161 


162  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

That  chastity  and  truth  were  lacking ;  that  the 
broken  law  of  God  brings  its  own  consequence  with 
absolute  inevitability ;  that  as  we  sow,  thus  we  must 
reap,  —  all  this  apparently  troubled  no  one  except 
the  person  whose  burden  and  sorrow  were  heavy 
enough,  God  knows,  without  it. 

Of  the  hundreds  of  women  who  were  that  morning 
eagerly  discussing  Reginald  Archer's  marriage,  there 
were  not  many  who  would  have  refused  to  change 
places  with  Christie,  though  knowing,  but  far  from 
realizing,  what  Reginald's  life  had  been,  and  what  it 
had  necessarily  made  him.  Women  marry  men  with 
apparent  disregard  for  their  lack  of  purity,  —  some- 
times because  they  know  too  little,  and  sometimes 
because  they  know  too  much.  With  one  class,  it  is 
the  seeming  indifference  of  ignorance ;  with  the 
other,  it  is  the  real  carelessness  of  experimental 
knowledge  and  natural  taste.  With  both  orders 
men  like  Reginald  Archer  are  particularly  successful, 
though  in  different  ways.  And  there  were  many  fool- 
ish, blinded,  but  not  impure  hearts,  among  those  who 
looked  kindly  upon  that  groom,  and  envied  the  bride 
her  place  at  his  side,  —  women  who  would  have  real- 
ized the  misery  of  a  granted  prayer,  had  their  wish 
been  given  them.  Seeing  only  what  is  elegant  and 
attractive  in  a  successful ,  roue,  they  cannot  believe 
such  beautiful  sin  to  be  very  sinful;  or  that,  as  is 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  163 

inevitably  the  case,  it  is  a  radical  part  of  the  na- 
ture. They  build  an  ideal  from  outward  appearances, 
and  worship  it,  only  to  have  their  dream  dissipated, 
and  to  learn  that  evil  is  the  one  utterly  hideous,  cruel 
fact  in  the  universe. 

A  curious  variety  of  beings  awoke  that  morning 
with  this  marriage  as  their  first  thought.  Men  who 
admired  and  imitated  him,  —  who  had  followed  his 
example  to  the  ruin  of  soul,  body,  and  estate  ;  women 
who  had  adored  him,  or  who  adored  him  still ;  others 
whom  he  had  inspired  with  passion,  or  a  sentiment  of 
flattered  vanity,  or  any  of  the  numerous  emotions 
which  are  classed  under  the  generic  term  of  "  love  ;  " 
numbers  of  other  persons  whom  curiosity,  his  repu- 
tation, and  the  wealth  of  his  bride,  interested  in  the 
matter,  —  each  and  all  remembered  in  their  waking 
moment  that  this  was  Reginald's  wedding  -  day. 
Sore  hearts  and  light  ones,  passionate  feeling  and 
trivial  interest,  smothered  revengeful  anger,  and 
smiling  good  will  and  good  wishes,  the  highest  blood 
and  fashion  of  the  land,  and  members  of  the  demi- 
monde, —  all  these  found  room  in  the  crowd  which 
assembled  in  the  solemn  old  church  in  which  Regi- 
nald Archer  and  Christie  Macalaster  were  to  be  made 
man  and  wife.  It  was  the  social  event  of  the  season  ; 
and  consequently  the  unbidden  guests  were  almost 
numberless  :  but  a  strange  variety  of  emotions  were 


164  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

hidden  under  the  obedience  to  fashion  which  appar- 
ently brought  them  thither. 

An  equal  difference  displayed  itself  hi  the  feelings 
and  actions  of  those  more  closely  connected  with  the 
marriage. 

Reginald  rose  calmly,  at  his  usual  late  hour,  giving 
himself  his  ordinary  time  to  dress  and  to  breakfast 
with  extreme  comfort.  He  never  allowed  himself 
to  be  either  hurried  or  delayed  in  these  important 
operations. 

"  Reginald,  you  remind  me  of  Goethe's  expression, 
*  Never  hasting,  never  resting,  like  a  star,'  "  said 
Tom  one  day,  when  he  had  watched  his  brother 
enjoying  his  meal  with  tranquillity  under  rather  try- 
ing circumstances. 

"  Which  means,  my  dear  boy,"  answered  the  other, 
"  that  I  have  learned  the  true  science  of  living,  and 
the  really  important  point  in  life.  I  never  allow  my 
comfort  to  be  interfered  with.  I  see  persons  occa- 
sionally who  are  anxious  about  their  souls ;  but  I 
spend  my  care  and  pains  upon  my  body,  and  I  find 
myself  repaid  more  visibly  and  immediately." 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  think  you  are  right,"  exclaimed 
Tom ;  "  for  I  believe  you  have  nothing  else." 

"  Exactly  !  "  Reginald  responded  with  the  utmost 
pleasantness.  "  My  physical  frame  is  all  that  I  am  at 
all  sure  of :  so  I  tre'at  it  well,  and  gain  as  much  as 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  165 

possible  from  it."  And  he  certainly  had  the  merit  of 
living  up  to  his  doctrine. 

He  had  so  perfected  his  routine,  that,  even  upon  his 
wedding  -  morning,  it  admitted  of  no  improvement; 
and  not  the  slightest  agitation  marred  it  or  his 
manner.  He  surveyed  himself  leisurely  and  critical- 
ly in  the  glass  ;  and,  without  vanity,  decided  that 
he  had  never  looked  better.  His  costume  he  knew 
to  be  faultless ;  and  so  all  shade  of  anxiety  left  his 
mind. 

Experience  seems  to  show  that  handsome  men  are 
far  less  vain  than  ugly  ones.  They  become  accus- 
tomed to  their  own  beauty  and  its  effect,  and  gradu- 
ally forget  both.  Having  the  tranquillity  of  certainty, 
their  minds  are  not  led  back  to  the  subject  by 
doubt ;  and  it  is  a  fact,  that  Reginald  Archer  thought 
less  of  his  own  appearance  that  morning  than  did 
any  one  of  the  hundreds  of  persons  who  looked  at 
him. 

Ellen  was  the  only  other  individual  in  that  house- 
hold who  breakfasted  at  just  her  usual  hour,  and  with 
her  usual  appetite.  Then  she  retreated  to  the  sacred 
shades  of  her  own  room  in  company  with  a  hair- 
dresser and  a  maid,  and  was  not  seen  again  until  the 
bridal  party  assembled  before  starting  for  the  church  ; 
when  she  appeared  in  a  costume  which  it  had  taken 
her  dressmaker  days  and  days  to  manufacture,  and 


166  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

herself  hours  to  assume.  But  the  result  was  worth 
the  trouble;  for  it  rendered  her  beautiful.  She 
passed  the  same  verdict  upon  herself  as  she  scanned 
the  effect  of  her  labors,  and  hoped  to  read  fresh  evi- 
dence of  the  fact  in  Lloyd  Truxton's  eyes.  It  was 
for  his  final  subjugation,  in  addition  to  her  desire  for 
general  admiration,  that  she  had  worked  ;  not  know- 
ing that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  ask  her  to 
marry  him  upon  far  more  solid  grounds  than  any 
passing  phase  of  her  beauty.  But  she  had  her  wish 
in  exciting  his  admiration ;  for  he  met  her  not  only 
with  a  gallant  compliment,  but  with  a  look  which 
said  much  more  than  the  words,  and  gave  them  their 
value.  • 

As  for  Maria,  neither  she  nor  any  one  else  knew 
whether  she  took  any  breakfast  that  morning.  After 
giving  general  household  directions  for  the  comfort 
of  every  one  else,  she  hurriedly  dressed  for  the  wed- 
ding, and  dismissed  herself  entirely  from  her  own 
mind.  She  knew  she  appeared  as  a  lady  should ; 
and  that  was  all  for  which  she  really  cared.  She 
might  have  been  aware,  also,  that  she  was  a  very 
fine-looking  woman,  strikingly  like  Tom,  with  his 
waving  hair  and  bright  dark  eyes,  and  so  could 
afford  to  dispense  with  anxiety  in  the  matter.  Then 
she  went  to  Christie's  room  to  devote  the  rest  of  the 
time  to  her. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  167 

" '  Happy  is  the  bride  the  sun  shines  on,'  Chris- 
tie dear,"  was  her  salutation  as  she  took  the  half- 
dressed  girl  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her  very  ten- 
derly. 

The  sunbeams  were  streaming  through  the  vine- 
shaded  windows,  and  dancing  upon  the  floor ;  and  all 
things  within  and  without  were  radiant  with  the 
brightness  of  the  summer  weather :  but  it  was  the 
light  in  Christie's  face  which  seemed  to  illumine 
her. 

"  Child,  you  look  so  happy,  you  scare  me !  "  ex- 
claimed Maria  involuntarily. 

Christie  gave  her  a  slightly-startled  glance,  a  shade 
coming  over  her  face. 

"  No,  no  !  I  didn't  mean  what  I  said,"  the  other 
suddenly  retracted,  as  she  saw  and  regretted  the  ef- 
fect of  her  words.  "  Be  as  happy  as  you  can,  my 
darling ;  and  I  pray  God  you  may  always  be  so. 
And  now  let  us  see  if  we  can  make  you  look  any 
lovelier  than  you  do  now,"  she  added  gayly  to  change 
the  conversation ;  and  was  soon  engrossed  in  that 
momentous  question. 

Maria  had  had  her  own  doubts  concerning  this 
marriage,  which,  like  Tom,  she  had  kept  to  herself, 
from  a  hopelessness  of  doing  any  good  by  expressing 
them.  As  is  almost  always  the  case  with  men's 
female  relatives,  she  was  ignorant  of  the  active  crim- 


168  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

inality  of  Reginald's  life ;  but,  of  the  inner  character 
formed  by  that  life,  each  day  gave  her  evidence  in 
some  almost  unconscious  word,  look,  or  tone.  She 
had  the  family  acuteness  of  perception,  and  not  only 
saw  that  her  brother  was  utterly  selfish,  but  felt, 
rather  than  knew,  that  he  was  a  bad  man  in  more 
ways  than  one.  This  consciousness  had  secretly 
overcast  her  joy  at  Christie's  becoming 'her  sister, 
and  made  her  regard  the  girl  from  time  to  time  with 
an  indefinable  sentiment  of  pity  and  anxiety. 

"It  is  like  a  day  that  is  too  bright  to  last.  I  am 
afraid  the  clouds  will  come  before  noon,  —  certainly 
before  night.  I  fear  trouble  must  come  to  Reginald's 
wife,  let  her  be  what  she  will ;  and  how  is  this  poor 
child  to  bear  it  ?  "  the  woman  was  thinking,  in  her 
kind,  honest  heart,  as  she  turned  her  kind,  honest 
face,  with  its  brightest  smile,  towards  the  girl  she  was 
arraying. 

The  tender  beauty  of  the  young  face,  the  perfect 

• 

purity  and  gladness  which  shone  from  it  like  a  halo, 
touched  this  good  woman  inexpressibly.  With  not 
many  years  dividing  them,  a  wide  difference  of  expe- 
rience and  character  made  her  feel  towards  the  or- 
phan-girl almost  as  her  own  mother  might  have  done. 
An  infinite  desire  to  protect  and  shelter  and  aid  her 
filled  Maria ;  but  it  was  with  a  consciousness  of  en- 
tire helplessness.  It  is  in  such  moments  of  need  and 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  169 

weakness  that  women  carry  those  they  love  to  the 
strong  arms  of  the  great  Father;  that  they  appeal 
to  the  only  love  which  is  mightier  than  theirs.  In  the 
midst  of  all  this  happiness  and  prosperity,  Maria's 
instinct  told  her  of  past  sin  and  coming  sorrow :  it 
vaguely  forewarned  her  of  danger  and. disaster  which 
as  yet  were  not.  An  impulse  she  could  neither  con- 
trol nor  explain,  but  upon  which  she  looked  back 
with  astonishment  before  another  year  had  rolled 
round,  prompted  her  next  act. 

Christie's  toilet  was  nearly  complete,  and  Maria 
was  giving  it  a  few  last  touches,  when  she  said  to 
one  of  the  servants, — 

"Go  down  stairs  and  tell  Mr.  Reginald  that  we 
will  be  with  him  in  a  few  moments ; "  and,  turning  to 
the  other  attendants,  dismissed  them  upon  trivial  pre- 
texts. 

Going  quietly  to  the  door,  she  closed  it,  and,  re- 
turning, met  the  girl  entirely  ready,  about  to  de- 
scend. 

"  Stop  a  moment,  Christie,"  she  said  nervously, 
her  face  flushing,  the  tears  coming  into  her  eyes,  and 
her  tone  deepening  -with  the  smothered  earnestness 
with  which  she  spoke.  "  Say  a  prayer,  my  child,  be- 
fore you  go :  say  '  Our  Father ; '  say  '  Lead  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil ; '  and  *  For- 
give us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  tres- 


170  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

pass  against  us.' '  And  the  woman's  voice  broke 
utterly  with  the  last  word. 

The  appeal  went  straight  from  one  heart  to  the 
other.  The  girl's  face  flushed  and  her  lips  quivered 
as  the  elder  woman's  had  done.  The  next  moment, 
without  a  word,  she  knelt  down  in  her  flowing  bridal 
robe,  with  the  white  veil  covering  her  beauty  like 
mist,  and  the  sweet,  fresh  blossoms  falling  about  her 
dress.  Thinking  of  it  afterwards,  and  of  that  up- 
lifted, innocent  face,  Maria  remembered  that  other 
wedding-garment  of  which  Christ  speaks  as  worn 
by  those  who  were  bidden  to  the  marriage  of  the 
king's  son,  and  which  those  must  wear  who  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  At  Maria's  knee,  as  in  her 
childish  days  at  that  of  her  old  nurse,  she  repeated 
the  words-  which  had  been  upon  her  baby-lips,  and 
which  came  to  her  now  as  the  highest  ever  uttered 
on  earth.  Together  those  low,  quivering  voices 
went  through  that  prayer,  so  solemn,  so  tender, 
and  yet  so  awfully  searching,  that  it  leaves  no  re- 
cess of  the  human  heart  untouched,  uncleansed,  or 
unfilled. 

Then  Christie  rose,  and  the  two  left  the  room  in 
silence. 

"  Whatever  fate  she  is  going  forth  to  meet,  I  have 
given  her  the  best  preparation  for  it,"  thought  the 
pious,  loving  woman.  "  If  life  is  to  be  a  battle  to 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  171 

her,  I  have  put  her  strongest,  truest  weapon  in  her 
hand:  whatever  comes,  or  whatever  goes,  whether 
she  meet  the  temptations  of  pain  or  of  pleasure,  so 
long  as  she  can  hold  the  spirit  of  that  prayer  within 
her,  she  is  safe." 

That  firm,  triumphant  faith  which  comes  from  an 
immovable  belief  in  the  ultimate  security  of  right- 
doing,  from  an  unshakable  trust  in  the  infinite  power 
and  love  above  us,  sprang  up  within  her;  and  she 
followed  Christie  with  a  more  hopeful  heart  than  she 
could  have  believed  possible  a  few  moments  before. 

When  Tom  Archer  awoke  that  morning,  it  was 
with  the  same  dull  aching  which  had  been  in 
his  breast  ever  since  that  night,  when,  meeting  his 
brother  in  the  hall,  he  had  seen  his  triumph  in  his 
face,  and  heard  it  from  his  lips.  From  that  time  to 
the  present,  he  had  had  a  sensation  of  living  under 
a  species  of  nightmare,  with  which  he  struggled  in 
vain,  but  which  he  hoped  to  cast  off  when  this  mar- 
riage was  over  and  he  should  be  left  in  peace.  The 
heavy  weight  upon  him  had  brought  with  it  a  numb- 
ness to  all  his  sensations ;  and  his  chief  feeling  on 
that  morning  was  a  consciousness  that  the  next  few 
hours  contained  for  him  a  task  he  must  accomplish,  a 
trial  he  must  undergo,  and  that,  too,  without  giving 
evidence  that  his  office  was  aught  but  a  pleasure  and 
a  pride. 


172  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

The  man's  strong,  reticent  nature  prepared  itself 
for  the  effort. 

"  If  I  can  only  go  through  it  without  letting  Regi- 
nald see  what  it  is  to  me,  if  I  can  only  avoid  getting 
up  a  little  dramatic  entertainment  for  his  private 
benefit,  it  is  all  I  ask,"  Tom  thought,  with  a  dull, 
heavy  anger,  no  less  against  himself  than  his  brother. 
"  As  for  Christie,  no  matter  what  I  might  do,  she 
would  not  notice  it.  She  does  not  care  enough 
for  me  to  be  conscious  of  my  existence  when  her 
radiant  lover  is  present ;  and,  unless  I  drop  dead  at 
her  side,  I  am  quite  safe  from  exciting  her  obser- 
vation or  comprehension,"  he  added  with  bitter 
truth. 

He  did  not  care  to  try  his. strength  by  meeting 
Reginald  before  it  was  necessary,  and  so  did  not  leave 
his  room  until  it  was  about  time  to  set  out  for  the 
church.  Then  he  went  steadily  down  stairs  to  the 
parlor,  where  the  whole  party  awaited  his  coming. 

Reginald  turned  with  apparent  carelessness  as  he 
heard  his  brother's  step,  and  gave  an  almost  imper- 
ceptible glance  towards  him. 

"  He'll  do,"  was  his  comment  of  entire  satisfaction. 
"  It's  just  the  same  old  Tom ;  the  same  plucky  fellow 
he  always  is,"  he  added,  with  delighted  relish  for  the 
courage  and  the  effort  he  perfectly  understood :  and 
he  had  an  almost  irresistible  impulse  to  go  up  to  his 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  173 

brother,  and  make  him  a  magnificent  bow,  as  doing 
homage  before  a  stronger,  braver  man  than  himself. 
Tom  was  fated  to  afford  his  brother  entertainment, 
let  him  do  what  he  would. 

But  he  cared  little  for  Reginald  or  his  criticisms 
just  then  :  he  was  looking  at  Christie. 

The  girl  stood  silent  at  her  lover's  side,  with  her 
dark  eyes  raised  towards  him,  yet  seeming  to  be 
gazing  inward  rather  than  outward. 

Her  pure  white  bridal  draperies,  and  the  expres- 
sion upon  her  face,  which  was  the  reflection  of 
those  words  she  had  just  spoken  upon  her  knees,  and 
the  thought  of  those  coming  words  so  soon  to  be 
uttered  before  the  altar,  —  these  seemed  suddenly  to 
have  changed  the  nature  of  her  beauty  to  a  mystic, 
sacramental  holiness,  which  placed  her  apart  from 
him,  and  far  above  him. 

"  She  is  like  one  of  the  angels  in  heaven,"  he 
thought,  with  that  tender,  adoring  reverence  which 
had  always  found  place  in  his  love.  "  How  dare  I 
profane  her,  even  in  thought,  with  my  passion  and 
suffering  ! " 

He  seemed  to  leave  earthly  pain,  with  other  earthly 
feelings,  behind  him,  as  he  came  within  the  influence 
of  this  absolute  purity.  Some  of  its  eternal  calm 
passed  into  his  nature,  stilling  the  throbbihgs  of  his 
sore  heart,  and  lifting  him,  for  the  time,  above  his 


174  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

personal  sorrow,  into  a  region  where  it  did  not  ven- 
ture to  intrude.  A  different  man  stood  before  her 
from  the  one  who  had  entered  the  room  but  a  few 
seconds-  before.  He  did  not  speak  to  her  :  he  did  not 
feel  worthy  to  break  in  upon  the  thought  and  feeling 
which  were  in  her  face. 

"  Reginald,"  he  said  quietly  after  a  moment  or 
two,  "  if  you  are  ready,  we  will  go." 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  other  :  "  we  shall  be  just  in 
tune." 

And  the  whole  party  entered  the  carriages,  and 
drove  rapidly  to  the  not-distant  church. 

As  he  sat  opposite  her  during  that  brief  drive, 
Tom  disturbed  Christie  by  no  word;  but  he  gazed 
at  her  with  that  hungry  despair  with  which  we  watch 
those  we  love  when  death  is  coming  nearer  and 
nearer  each  moment  to  take  them  from  us.  We 
make  no  vain  struggle ;  but  our  awful  dumb  protest 
speaks  in  that  last,  long  look. 

And  she  ? 

Rapt  in  a  dream  of  tender  love  and  holy  aspira- 
tion, she  was  as  unconscious  of  his  agony  as  though 
she  had  been  indeed  one  of  those  angels  to  whom  he 
had  likened  her. 

Arriving,  alighting,  and  forming  the  bridal  proces- 
sion, they  left  the  glowing  sunlight  without,  and 
entered  the  shaded  aisle  of  the  dim  old  church. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  175 

That  strangely-mixed  throng  turned  with  bound- 
less curiosity  to  see  Reginald  Archer's  bride,  —  the 
girl  of  whose  face,  fortune,  and  family  they  had  heard 
so  much.  There  were  eyes  among  them  which 
looked  even  more  earnestly  at  Reginald  himself, 
—  eyes  which,  had  he  been  any  other  than  the 
man  he  was,  he  would  not  have  cared  to  meet.  It 
would  be  hard  to  say  how  many  in  that  assemblage 
had  loved  him,  or  how  many  he  had  professed  to 
love. 

In  one  of  the  front  pews  sat  a  woman,  who,  though 
belonging  to  neither  class,  turned,  and  watched  with 
curious  intentness  the  magnificent  man  and  lovely 
girl  approaching  her,  —  a  woman  who  was  destined  to 
influence  the  life  of  one  and  the  death  of  the  other. 
One  of  Marian  Lester's  few  beauties  was  a  rather 
pretty  little  hand,  which  she  was  then,  as  always, 
conspicuously  airing.  But  beyond  a  dull  envy  and 
ill  will  towards  both,  and  a  natural  malice,  and  love 
of  mischief,  she  had  as  little  reason  as  they  to  sup- 
pose that  her  hand  was  to  be  the  instrument  to  bring 
down  retribution  upon  Reginald  Archer's  stately  head. 
Yet  thus  it  was  to  be. 

"  A  pretty  fool,  and  a  mere  child  !  I  knew  how  it 
would  be,"  she  whispered,  with  a  hard,  cackling 
little  laugh  to  the  lady  next  her,  —  handsome  Mrs. 
Conrad,  her  bosom-friend,  in  whom,  the  worst  form  of 


176  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

fashionable  life  had  not  burnt  out  a  constitutional, 
slipshod  good  nature.  "  Just  Reginald  Archer's  won- 
derful good  luck  and  good  sense,  —  to  get  a  great 
fortune,  and  no  one  with  it  who  will  be  able  to  inter- 
fere with  him !  " 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  other  gayly :  "  that  mite  will 
have  a  very  small  chance  if  she  should  attempt  to  set 
up  any  opposition  to  him,  or  try  to  control  him.  A 
good  many  women  have  made  that  effort,  and  failed," 
she  added,  speaking  a  general  truth,  but  not  with- 
out some  personal  reference  to  her  dear  friend  at 
her  side,  —  a  kindly  attention  which  the  other  laid 
by  for  future  repayment,  as  she  always  did  such 
things. 

Each  hit  the  other  when  she  could  without  injury 
to  their  outward  alliance,  which  was  built  upon  the 
firm  foundation  o"f  mutual  convenience  and  advan- 
tage. Having  thrown  her  little  stone,  and  struck  the 
mark,  Mrs.  Conrad  felt  a  comfortable  elation  of 
spirits,  though  she  knew  that  her  missive  would 
shortly  be  sent  back  to  her.  But  they  had  played 
this  game  too  long  for  either  to  fear  mortal  wounds. 

"  She'll  look  at  her  brilliant  match  somewhat  dif- 
ferently six  months  from  now,  unless  she  has  a  great 
deal  more  sense  than  I  give  her  credit  for,"  Mrs. 
Lester  coolly  remarked,  ignoring  for  the  present  her 
friend's  side-stroke. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  177 

"  She  is  a  pretty  woman,"  Mrs.  Conrad  exclaimed 
as  Christie  passed  by  her  to  the  foot  of  the  altar ; 
"and  Reginald  Archer  certainly  is  the  handsomest 
man  that  ever  lived,"  she  added  enthusiastically  as 
he  went  forward  and  took  his  place  at  the  girl's 
side. 

As  Tom  passed  up  the  church  with  Christie  on 
his  arm,  he  rigidly  held  back,  as  though  it  had  been 
a  physical  foe,  his  intense  consciousness  of  what 
this  ceremony  might  have  meant  to  him  under  other 
circumstances,  —  of  the  place  he  might  have  held 
in  this  bridal  train.  Aware,  to  his  finest  fibre, 
of  all  her  beauty,  of  the  sweep  of  her  garments 
against  him,  of  the  touch  of  her  hand  upon  his  arm, 
he  walked  on  to  the  altar,  and  there  gave  place  to 
his  brother. 

The  organ,  which  had  pealed  out  its  joyous  wed- 
ding-march at  their  entrance,  ceased  its  music,  and 
the  glad  sounds  died  away.  There  came  the  mo- 
mentary hush  of  expectation  over  the  whole  audience 
and  edifice  ;  and  then  the  clergyman's  voice  rose 
sonorously  above  the  stillness  :  — 

"  Dearly  beloved,  we  are  gathered  together  here, 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  in  the  face  of  this  company, 
to  join  together  this  man  and  this  woman  in  holy 
matrimony ;  which  is  commended  by  St.  Paul  to  be 
honorable  among  all  men,  and  therefore  is  not  by 

8* 


178  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

any  to  be  entered  into  unadvisedly  or  lightly,  but 
reverently,  discreetly,  advisedly,  soberly,  and  in  the 
fear  of  God.  Into  this  holy  estate  these  two  per- 
sons present  come  now  to  be  joined.  If  any  man 
can  show  just  cause  why  they  may  not  lawfully  be 
joined  together,  let  him  speak  now,  or  else  here- 
after forever  hold  his  peace." 

"  The  face  of  this  company  "  was  very  curious  to 
contemplate  as  it  leaned  forward  in  eager  interest. 
The  dreadful  satire  of  those  ceremonial  words,  in 
this  case,  was  clear  to  numbers  of  those  spectators ; 
and  smile,  sneer,  sorrow,  and  savage  anger,  passed  like 
a  wave  over  that  sea  of  countenances. 

In  the  momentary  pause  which  followed  that 
appeal  to  any  man  to  show  just  cause  of  impediment, 
how  many  beating  hearts  under  dumb  lips  throbbed 
fearful  protest !  how  many  asserted  their  claim  upon 
"  this  man  "  to  be  stronger  and  truer  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  Nature  than  that  of  the  woman  at  his  side  ! 
But  the  Prayer-Book,  perhaps  discreetly,  restricts  its 
demands  to  the  masculine  sex,  and  does  not  ask  the 
testimony  or  the  opinion  of  women. 

The  service  went  on,  undisturbed  by  any  sound, 
let  the  unspoken  emotion  be  what  it  might. 

Before  the  awful  charge,  calling  upon  them  to 
"•answer  as  at  the  dreadful  day  of  judgment,  when 
the  secret  of  all  hearts  shall  be  disclosed,"  Reginald 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  179 

Archer's  steady  nerves  and  empty  emotional  nature 
quailed  as  little  as  did  the  pure,  devout  one  beside 
him.  Then  each  soul  took  upon  it  that  holiest  vow 
of  perfect  love  and  constancy,  —  a  vow  which  was 
to  bear  so  lightly  upon  one,  and  with  such  terrible 
weight  upon  the  other. 

"  Who  giveth  this  woman  to  be  married  to  this 
man  ?  "  the  minister's  voice  demanded.  And  Tom 
Archer  performed  his  part  of  giving  away,  instead  of 
taking  to  himself,  the  woman  he  loved  then  and  for- 
ever. He  scarcely  heard  the  rest  of  the  ceremony ; 
until,  the  benediction  over,  Reginald  and  Christie 
Archer  arose  man  and  wife.  Then  he,  with  the 
bridal  party,  passed  rapidly  out  of  the  church  into 
the  carriages,  and  thus  home. 

The  wedding-party  and  the  few  invited  guests 
were  in  such  gay  spirits,  that  the  breakfast  passed 
quickly  off  in  a  little  whirl  of  excitement.  Tom  had 
not  much  to  say  or  do  beyond  a  quiet  general  direc- 
tion of  the  affair. 

"  If  the  whole  thing  were  but  over !  if  they  would 
only  go,  and  leave  me  in  peace  !  "  was  his  one  senti- 
ment ;  and  finally  he  had  his  wish. 

In  order  to  reach  the  train,  which  left  the  city  at 
an  early  hour  in  the  afternoon,  they  were  obliged  to 
cut  short  both  their  merry-making  and  their  farewells. 

Christie,   in   her  pretty   travelling-dress,    was   no 


180  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

longer  the  separated,  almost  mystical  being  she  had 
seemed  in  her  white  wedding-garments:  she  was 
again  the  sweet,  lovable  woman,  whom  a  man  might 
long  to  take  to  his  heart  and  to  his  arms.  As  such, 
Tom  did  not  dare  to  trust  himself  to  give  her  the 
affectionate  farewell  the  others  were  bestowing  upon 
her,  and  receiving  in  return.  He  was,  apparently 
by  chance,  a  little  out  of  the  way  whenever  it  would 
have  been  his  turn  to  bid  her  adieu.  He  seemed  en- 
grossed in  giving  orders  for  their  comfort  and  con- 
venience. She  had  entered  the  carriage,  and  Regi- 
nald was  about  to  follow,  before  she  noticed  the 
omission. 

"  Good-by,  dear  Tom ! "  she  exclaimed  eagerly, 
and  put  out  her  hand  through  the  window. 

"  GooU-by !  "  he  responded  pleasantly,  and  held  her 
palm  for  a  second,  but  without  leaning  forward  to 
kiss  her,  as  she  had  intended,  and  as  he  might  easily 
have  done. 

Again,  in  the  height  of  her  joy  and  gayety,  Christie 
felt  that  curious  little  sense  of  repulse ;  but  even  the 
memory  was  swallowed  up,  a  moment  after,  in  the 
perfection  of  her  happiness.  Reginald  saw  the  whole 
scene,  and,  with  his  foot  upon  the  carriage-step, 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  turn  back  for  a 
final  word  with  his  brother.  The  man's  pluck,  self- 
contiol,  and  rigid  sense  of  right,  had  an  absolute  fas- 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  181 

cination  for  Reginald,  from  which  he  could  scarcely 
tear  himself  away. 

"  Tom,"  he  said,  half  under  his  breath,  and  with- 
out the  slightest  preface,  "you  believe  in  a  moral 
arithmetic.  When  all  this  is  balanced,  somewhere 
and  at  some  tune,  your  account  may  show  rather 
differently  than  at  present." 

"  Good-by ! "  Tom  answered  doggedly,  not  even 
looking  up  at  him.  He  wanted  none  of  this  man's 
condolence,  sympathy,  or  comprehension.  He  did 
not  wish  even  to  touch  his  hand :  he  revolted  from 
him  soul  and  body.  All  he  asked  was,  that  the 
other  should  take  himself  away  where  he  would 
never  be  called  upon  to  see  or  speak  to  him  again. 

"  Farewell !  "  returned  Reginald  pleasantly,  under- 
standing his  brother's  feeling,  without  in  the  least 
degree  resenting  it;  and  in  another  moment  the 
carriage  rolled  off,  and  Tom  re-entered  his  own 
door. 

Changing  his  dress  hastily,  and  escaping  from  the 
few  lingering  guests  and  the  air  of  past  festivities 
which  pervaded  the  house,  he  went  down  to  his 
place  of  business,  and  shut  himself  up  in  his  pri- 
vate counting-room.  He  did  not  appear  again  until 
night. 

He  had  been  looking  over  his  books,  he  said  to  the 
clerk  who  came  in  at  last  to  hint  politely  that  he 


182  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

should  like   to   close  the   warehouse  and  take  his 
departure. 

He  had  spent  those  hours  with  ledgers  open  before 

9 

him;    but  how  they  had  been  really  occupied,  he 
alone,  if  indeed  he,  could  have  told. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TOM  had  believed,  that  when  the  marriage  was 
over,  and  all  evidence  of  it  removed  from  his 
sight,  he  should  find  life  more  endurable ;  he  should 
even  attain  a  certain  rest  and  peace :  but  he  discov- 
ered that  he  had  been  mistaken.  Up  to  this  time,  he 
had  had  occupation  for  thought:  he  could  at  least 
look  forward  to  what  he  supposed  would  put  a  defi- 
nite period  to  his  pain.  Now  there  stretched  before 
him  an  unlimited  vista  of  dull,  ceaseless,  hopeless  tor- 
ture. The  monotony  and  apparent  endlessness  of  his 
suffering  made  it  absolutely  intolerable.  Looking 
back  upon  these  days  in  after-life,  he  sincerely  won- 
dered that  he  had  not  taken  to  hard  drinking  or  to 
opium-eating  to  deaden  his  pain ;  or,  indeed,  that  he 
had  not  put  an  end  to  it  and  to  himself  by  suicide. 
With  his  terrible  capacity  for  feeling  and  suffering, 
he  had  need  to  be  a  brave  man  not  to  seek  such 
ready  refuge :  it  required  all  his  strong  uprightness 
to  enable  him  to  stand  in  his  lot. 

His  desolation,  his  unutterable  loneliness,  seemed 

183 


134  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

more  than  he  could  endure.  It  was  the  one  great 
effort  and  desire  of  his  proud,  sensitive  character, 
to  cover  his  emotion ;  and  it  would  have  been  like 
death  to  him  to  think  that  those  around  him  recog- 
nized and  watched  his  struggle.  And  yet,  with  the 
strange  inconsistency  of  the  human  heart,  it  gave  his 
suffering  its  last  exquisite  touch  to  find  that  those 
who  professed  to  love  him,  whom  he  had  spent  his 
life  in  serving,  did  not  regard  him  sufficiently  to  be 
conscious  of  his  grief  or  his  need  of  their  succor. 

Maria,  noticing  his  worn  appearance,  asked  him 
affectionately,  on  one  or  two  occasions,  whether  he 
were  ill;  and,  receiving  a  negative  reply,  said  she 
supposed  it  was  the  effect  of  the  warm  weather ;  that 
he  ought  to  take  take  care  of  himself,  and,  above 
all,  leave  town  for  a  summer  trip,  as  the  rest  of  the 
family  intended  to  do.  He  answered,  that  business 
would  prevent  him ;  and  the  subject  dropped. 

He  »had  been  conscious  for  some  time  past  that 
Arnold  hung  about  him,  and  followed  his  movements, 
more  like  an  affectionate  dog  than  ever.  He  had 
derived  a  vague  sense  of  comfort  from  the  fact  and 
from  this  unobtrusive  companionship ;  but  that  his 
brother  had  the  least  comprehension  of  his  situation 
did  not  occur  to  him.  That  where  Maria's  strong 
sense  and  womanly  kindness  had  failed  to  apprehend 
the  truth,  where  Reginald's  acuteness  had  merely 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  185 

shown  him  the  outside  facts  of  the  case,  this  "  divine 
idiot,"  as  his  handsome  brother  had  once  called  him, 
should,  by  the  subtile  wisdom  of  love,  enter  into  the 
secret  recesses  of  his  heart,  was  what  Tom  little 
expected  or  imagined:  still  less  did  he  dream  that 
Arnold's  unskilled  hand  would  be  the  only  one 
found  sufficiently  delicate  to  touch  his  sore  nature 
without  agonizing  it ;  that  his  brother  alone  would 
know  the  comforting  and  strengthening  he  needed, 
and  bring  them  to  him. 

That  awful  uncertainty  which  steals  over  us  from 
time  to  time,  whether,  after  all,  virtue  be  more  than 
a  name ;  whether  the  worship  of  Mammon  be  not 
wiser  than  the  worship  of  God ;  whether  we  are  not 
sacrificing  all  the  real  good  of  life  to  the  merest 
dream  and  idea,  —  this  deadliest  of  doubts  had  held 
Tom  in  its  cruel,  paralyzing  power  for  days  past. 
After  all,  might  not  his  life  and  its  whole  principle 
be  a  mistake  and  a  delusion  ?  Might  not  Reginald  be 
the  truly  prudent  man,  and  he  the  miserable  fool  who 
was  casting  from  him  all  that  was  really  worth 
possessing  in  existence?  Why  not  give  lip  his 
struggle  with  his  lower  nature,  and  get  some  good 
out  of  this  world,  which  was,  perhaps,  all  he  should 
ever  know?  His  striving  to  hold  to  his  own  stan- 
dard, his  self-denial  and  self  -  discipline,  might  be 
sheer  idiocy,  for  which  shrewder  men  very  properly 


186  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

laughed  at  and  despised  him.  His  life-long  devotion 
to  another  rule  had  only  brought  him  to  his  present 
lonely  wretchedness:  why  not  try  the  law  of  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  Devil,  and  see  how  that 
worked  ? 

He  was  not  a  romantic  man ;  he  had  no  idea  of 
passing  for  a  hero ;  not  the  least  intention  of  doing  or 
saying  fine  things,  or  putting  them  into  well-sounding 
sentences  :  but  as  he  walked  doggedly  up  the  street, 
with  his  head  down  and  his  hat  half  over  his  eyes, 
bitterly  arguing  the  case  with  himself,  he  was  fight- 
ing upon  the  most  terrible  of  all  battle-grounds,  — 
that  on  which  we  contend  with  invisible  forces ;  that 
on  which  souls,  not  bodies,  are  slain. 

This  conflict  comes  to  the  noblest  and  truest  as 
surely  as  to  the  feeble  and  degenerate  ;  and  we  learn 
from  it  that  virtue  means  literally  manhood,  —  the 
power  to  fight,  to  struggle,  and  even  to  die,  rather 
than  weakly  and  basely  surrender  our  natures  to 
foes  without  and  foes  within.  According  to  the 
measure  of  our  defeat  or  victory,  we  stand  before 
our  consciences  and  our  God :  we  know  that  we  are 
cowards  and  weaklings,  or  brave,  true  men  and 
women.  There  is  no  reversing  this  decision  to  our- 
selves or  to  others :  it  stands  fatally  recorded  against 
us. 

Tom  Archer  was  a  strong  man,  struggling  with  the 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  187 

subtlest  of  temptations  as  he  walked  on,  through 
the  summer  afternoon,  through  the  streets  in  which 
the  hum  of  business  was  beginning  to  be  hushed. 
The  surroundings  were  strangely  incongruous  for 
such  a  grim  closing-in  with  a  man's  inner  self;  but 
the  decisions  of  one's  life  have  little  regard  for  time 
or  place.  The  busy  porters  brushed  against  him  as 
they  closed  their  warehouses ;  draymen  and  clerks 
nearly  ran  over  him  in  their  eagerness  to  get  away 
to  their  homes ;  and  merchants  nodded  to  him  as  they 
left  their  counting-rooms  for  more  agreeable  regions. 

He  was  so  absorbed  in  his  own  thoughts,  that  he 
supposed  it  to  be  one  of  these  latter  who  came 
behind  him  and  spoke.  Looking  wearily  around,  he 
saw  that  it  was  his  brother  Arnold. 

"It  is  well  you  were  not  walking  very  rapidly, 
Tom,"  the  other  said,  "  or  I  could  not  have  caught 
up  with  you.  I  went  down  to  the  office  to  come 
home  with  you :  but  they  told  me  you  had  just  gone ; 
so  I  followed."  And  the  long,  awkward  figure  took 
its  place  at  his  side. 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  Tom.  "  It  was  very  kind 
in  you  to  think  of  it."  And  then,  really  unable  to 
carry  on  a  conversation,  he  lapsed  again  into  his  own 
thoughts. 

Arnold  hooked  his  brother's  arm  into  his  own,  and 
brought  his  thin  legs  to  keep  step  with  the  other's 


188  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

steady  pace.     Thus  they  moved   on  in  silence   for 

* 

perhaps  half  an  hour ;  gradually  leaving  the  crowded, 
commercial  parts  of  the  city,  and  coming  to  the 
broader,  quieter  streets  nearer  their  home.  But 
Tom  seemed  as  little  disposed  for  conversation  then 
as  before. 

Arnold  had  from  time  to  time  been  looking  down 
into  his  brother's  face,  in  his  near-sighted,  half-blind 
way,  with  a  singular  expression  of  countenance. 
Presently  he  said  quietly,  though  with  a  curious  tone 
in  his  voice,  which  arrested  even  his  brother's  wan- 
dering attention,  and  brought  back  his  far-distant 
thoughts,  — 

"  Tom,  I  went  to  church  with  Maria  on  Sunday 
morning." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  returned  the  other,  still  rather  ab- 
sently ;  striving,  as  he  always  did,  to  interest  himself 
in  what  interested  Arnold,  but  vaguely  wondering 
why  his  brother  put  such  emphasis  upon  such  a 
trivial  occurrence. 

"  The  psalm  for  the  day  was  that  beautiful  one 
about  a  good  man's  steps  being  ordered  by  the  Lord. 
There  was  one  verse  which  struck  me  as  never  be- 
fore in  my  life ;  and  I  have  been  thinking  of  it  ever 
since :  '  Keep  innocency,  and  take  heed  unto  the 
thing  that  is  right ;  for  that  shall  bring  a  man  peace 
at  last.' " 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  189 

Tom  glanced  quickly  up  at  his  brother. 

The  love,  the  high  faith  and  earnestness,  which 
vibrated  through  the  voice,  were  shining  clear  and 
bright  in  the  face  usually  so  dreamy,  doubtful,  and 
shadowy  in  expression.  The  glory  and  wisdom  which 
are  not  of  this  world  were  in  those  purblind  eyes, 
making  them  beautiful  and  benign ;  the  majesty  of 
eternal  truth  covered  that  gaunt,  slouching  figure, 
ennobling  it  to  strength  and  decision,  to  power  and 
dignity.  It  seemed  to  Tom  as  though  some  strong, 
pure  angel  had  entered  that  feeble  form,  and  come 
to  his  rescue.  He  stood  still  for  a  moment,  and 
gazed  at  Arnold,  but  without  a  word  adequate  to 
express  the  feeling  that  rushed  over  him. 

Then  again  the  two  walked  on  in  silence. 

There  was  a  great  lump  in  Tom's  throat,  which 
kept  him  speechless.  The  unbearable  weight  of  his 
burden  seemed  lightened ;  his  sense  of  utter  loneli- 
ness and  desolation  passed  away.  There  was  at  least 
one  being  in  the  world  who  loved  him  enough  to 
comprehend  him,  and  suffer  with  him;  who  suffi- 
ciently  shared  his  needs  and  nature  to  bring  him  ten- 
derest,  highest  help  in  his  sorest  peril.  The  very 
weakness  of  the  hand  gave  it  ability  to  soothe :  the 
lack  of  worldly  skill  in  his  comforter  made  it  possible 
to  accept  his  comforting. 

There  are  times  when  we  learn  that  the  feeble 


190  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

have  their  peculiar  powers  and  privileges  as  surely 
as  the  strong ;  that  there  are  places  they  may  enter, 
whose  gates  are  barred  against  the  able  and  successful 
of  this  earth.  We  accept  with  infinite  thankfulness 
and  melting  hearts  the  companionship  and  sympathy 
of  the  one  class ;  while  we  steel  ourselves  against  the 
other,  as  towards  intolerable  intrusion.  We  fear  the 
critical  judgment  and  after-thought  of  strong-brained 
persons,  however  kindly  disposed.  To  most  of  us 
there  come  moments  when  we  absolutely  require  a 
fool  for  a  friend,  and,  in  default  of  him,  take  to  the 
affection  of  dumb  beasts.  At  that  moment,  this 
"  divine  idiot "  was,  by  his  very  worldly  incompe- 
tency,  that  which  no  other  man  alive  could  have 
been  to  Tom.  The  elder  man's  gentle  .consideration 
and  unselfish  care  for  his  brother  were  recompensed 
then  and  there. 

"  If  I  have  ever  loved  him,  and  tried  to  make  his 
life  peaceful  and  happy,  he  has  repaid  me  now  a 
thousand-fold,"  was  Tom's  thought,  with  a  tender 
glow  at  his  frozen,  sickened  heart,  as  the  two  went 
homeward  through  the-  summer  evening  air ;  was  the 
emotion  that  filled  his  .mind  for  weeks  and  months 
that  followed. 

Neither  by  look  nor  word  was  further  explanation 
entered  into  between  them  ;  and  the  subject,  winch 
was  never  really  absent  from  the  consciousness  of 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  191 

either,  was  not  again  alluded  to :  but  the  bond  and 
comprehension  were  no  less  strong  because  tacit. 
Honor  and  right  required  that  the  matter  should 
not  be  discussed,  and  that  Tom's  trouble  should  be 
kept  to  himself,  and  fought  out  by  himself.  Christie 
was  now  another  man's  wife,  and  must  not  be  pro- 
faned by  any  word  of  his,  —  by  any  thought,  if  he 
could  prevent  it :  so  between  the  two  there  re- 
mained only  a  deep,  tender  silence. 

They  fell  into  constant  association.  It  was  cu- 
rious how  little  they  said,  and  yet  what  a  sense 
of  companionship  they  supplied  to  each  other.  It 
almost  seemed  that  their  previous  relations  were 
reversed,  and  that  it  was  Arnold  who  kept  watch 
and  ward  over  his  strong,  resolute  brother  ;  tending 
him  spiritually  and  physically  with  something  be- 
tween the  devotion  of  a  mother  to  her  sick  child, 
and  the  unreasoning,  unquestioning  faithfulness  of  a 
loving  animal.  His  quiet,  contented  presence  never 
disturbed  Tom,  let  him  be  ever  so  much  occupied, 
outwardly  or  inwardly. 

"  Don't  I  interrupt  you  sometimes,  Tom  ?  I  am 
afraid  I  am  often  in  your  way,"  Arnold  once  peni- 
tently and  anxiously  inquired. 

"  Dear  boy,  you  are  never  in  my  way.  It  always 
rests  and  comforts  me  to  look  at  you,"  Tom  an- 
swered, laying  his  hand  on  the  other's  shoulder,  with 


192  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

a  tone  and  manner  which  set  that  matter  at  rest  for 
ever. 

And  thus,  upheld  by  the  weakest  arm  he  had  ever 
himself  strengthened,  Tom  lived  through  these  dark, 
weary  days,  until  his  tried  nature  grew  somewhat 
accustomed  to  the  strain  life  had  laid  upon  it,  —  until 
he  learned  endurance,  if  not  resignation. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

/CHRISTIE'S  honeymoon  was  over.  She  had  re- 
V_y  turned  from  her  long  wedding-tour,  and  was 
settled  as  the  mistress  of  the  beautiful  home  which 
Reginald's  taste  and  her  means  had  provided.  Noth- 
ing had  been  omitted  to  render  the  house  perfect ;  all 
that  art  could  devise,  culture  suggest,  and  wealth 
procure,  was  there ;  and  Reginald  Archer  presided 
over  it  with  quiet  but  supreme  satisfaction.  At 
last,  he  had  obtained  unlimited  command  of  money, 
and  a  position  and  residence  which  he  felt  he  occu- 
pied with  perfect  grace.  He  knew  that  he  and  his 
surroundings  were  in  admirably  artistic  keeping,  and 
experienced  the  calm  ease  and  comfort  which  that 
consciousness  engenders. 

"  The  right  man  in  the  right  place,"  he  thought, 
and  felt  that  his  real  life  had  but  just  com- 
menced. 

The  ennui  of  his  honeymoon  would  have  been  al- 
most insupportable  but  for  the  constant  change  of 
scene  and  association,  and  the  pleasant  titillation  of 

9  193 


194  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

his  vanity,  caused  by  the  impression  his  appearance 
everywhere  created. 

His  manner  towards  Christie  was  formed  upon  a 
finely-graduated  scale,  —  from  the  lover  he  had  neces- 
sarily appeared,'  to  the  cool,  courteous,  and  absolutely 
unrestrained  husband  he  intended  to  be.  The 
change  was  so  adroitly  managed,  that  Christie,  feel- 
ing the  effect  in  every  fibre  of  her  being,  could 
scarcely  define  or  analyze  the  cause.  It  was  like  an 
almost  imperceptible  but  constant  lowering  of  the 
temperature,  that  deadened  the  warm  springs  of  life 
within  her;  it  was  like  a  nightmare  stealing  over 
her,  against  whose  invisible  power  she  vainly  and 
vaguely  struggled.  Utterly  ignorant  of  evil,  of  falsi- 
ty, of  the  world  and  its  tenets,  of  every  thing  but  her 
own  pure  nature,  and  necessarily  judging  all  things 
by  it,  she  had  to  work  through  these  barriers  to  a 
recognition  of  facts  which  an  experienced  woman 
would  have  seen  and  understood  at  a  glance.  She 
had  to  discover  society-life,  and  some  of  its  worst 
phases,  as  truly  as  Pascal  discovered  geometry  for 
himself,  ages  after  it  had  been  known  to  all  the  world. 
The  education  of  most  persons,  on  this  point,  begins 
at  too  early  an  age,  and  their  teachers  are  too  numer- 
ous and  skilful,  to  leave  much  room  for  the  personal 
finding-out  of  many  things.  Still,  life  comes  to  all 
as  an  unsolved  problem ;  and  to  those  who  attempt  it 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  195 

without  rule,  training,  or  tutelage,  the  solution  is  diffi- 
cult and  delayed.  In  this  matter,  Christie  had  liter- 
ally to  do  her  own  work ;  and  circumstances  and  char- 
acters around  her  held  her  painfully  and  ceaselessly 
to  the  labor. 

Col.  Macalaster  had  bequeathed  to  his  daugh- 
ter, not  merely  his  large  fortune,  but  the  shrewd 
brain  which  had  accumulated  it ;  above  all,  that  ca- 
pacity for  original  thought,  that  necessity  to  form 
and  act  upon  his  own  judgment,  regardless  of  the 
opinions  of  others,  which  had  been  the  real  cause 
of  his  success.  Like  her  father,  Christie  was  com- 
pelled to  think  for  herself,  to  believe  for  herself; 
to  look  at  things  with  her  own  eyes,  and  weigh  them 
in  her  own  balance.  Hitherto  an  infant  in  experi- 
ence, and  living  wholly  in  her  large,  passionate  af- 
fections, her  intellect  had  had  no  food  to  stimulate 
it,  no  opportunity  to  act.  The  brain  like  the  soul 
of  the  woman  might  as  yet  be  called  unborn ;  but 
the  travail  of  both  had  begun.  Even  her  delusions 
had  been  essentially  her  own  ;  and  her  perceptions  of 
truth,  when  in  the  fulness  of  time  they  arrived, 
would  be  her  own  also. 

Her  growing,  sickening  doubt  of  Reginald's  love 
for  her  did  not  at  first  affect  her  opinion  of  him  :  it 
only  filled  her  with  infinite  pain  and  sorrow.  Her 
fear  that  she  could  not  be  a  fitting  wife  to  her  hero, 


196  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

could  not  satisfy  a  nature  so  lofty,  so  utterly  beyond 
her  own,  seemed  realized.  In  the  perfection  of  her 
faith,  nothing  affected  it ;  and  Reginald's  interest  in 
every  other  woman  with  whom  he  came  in  contact 
only  filled  her  with  sore-hearted  shame  at  her  inabil- 
ity to  be  all  and  in  all  to  him. 

Reginald  himself  thought  he  acted  extremely  well ; 
and  in  one  point  he  did,  setting  an  example  to  bet- 
ter men.  Never,  then  nor  to  the  very  end,  did  he 
omit  the  smallest  point  of  courtesy  to  his  wife  when 
in  her  presence.  Pride  (which  was  his  nearest  ap- 
proach to  principle),  taste,  and  the  instinct  of  good 
breeding,  did  not  permit  him  to  fail  in  this  matter. 
Mrs.  Reginald  Archer  was,  ex  officio,  a  person  to- 
wards whom  all  outward  ceremonies  must  be  ful- 
filled by  himself  and  others  :  their  omission  towards 
his  wife  was  an  insult  to  him.  If  with  love,  as  with 
the  law,  it  were  not  the  letter  which  killeth,  and  the 
spirit  which  maketh  alive,  Christie  would,  apparent- 
ly, have  had  little  of  which  to  complain.  If  one 
could  live  on  husks,  if  forms  could  feed  a  woman's 
soul,  then  the  fading-away  of  hope  and  light  and 
happiness  in  her  nature  would,  up  to  this  time,  have 
been  causeless. 

A  look  was  gathering  in  her  face  which  no  happy 
wife  can  wear.  The  difference  between  the  child  of 
the  past  and  the  woman  of  the  present  was  very 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  197 

curious  to  analyze,  it  was  at  once  so  small,  and  yet  so 
great.  It  seemed  chiefly  in  her  eyes.  From  them  spoke 
out  the  deep  disappointment,  the  trouble  and  sorrow, 
she  kept  otherwise  within  herself.  Dark  shadows 
had  come  into  their  depths,  and  sudden  changeful 
lights  upon  their  surface :  their  wonderful  latent 
power  of  expression  was  rousing  into  life,  and  giving 
token  of  a  nature  capable  of  boundless  emotion.  No 
one  could  now  look  into  them,  and  make  any  mistake 
as  to  her  age  ;  could  ever  doubt  her  ability  to  suffer, 
to  love,  and  even  to  hate.  She  had  not  then  learned 
to  govern  the  expression  of  her  eyes ;  would  probably 
never  learn  to  do  so  completely :  but  her  power  of 
repression  in  other  ways  was,  considering  her  past 
habits,  nature,  and  circumstances,  something  amazing. 
That  wonderful  heritage  of  outward  self-control, 
into  the  possession  of  which  women  come  at  the  call 
of  pride,  honor,  or  delicacy,  Christie  gained,  almost 
unconsciously,  the  moment  she  needed  it.  She  held 
her  clasped  hands^  as  it  were,  over  her  throbbing 
heart,  to  still  its  visible  beatings. 

She  gave  small  evidence  of  her  pain  to  any  one,  — 
to  Reginald  least  of  all. 

To  have  shown  him  her  heart,  by  word  or  look, 
would  have  been  like  crying  to  him  for  mercy ;  and 
that  she  could  not  do.  She  could  not  ask  his  help 
if  he  did  not  care  sufficiently  to  see  her  need.  She 


198  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

could  go  on  looking  up  to  him  and  loving  him  ;  but 
she  could  not  sue  for  his  love  in  return :  there  was  a 
deep,  strong  pride  in  the  woman,  which  could  not 
stoop  to  that ;  which  made  her  strive  to  hide  her  pain 
from  him  like  a  shame. 

Yet  Reginald  saw  her  gradual  awakening  to  the 
truth,  and,  as  far  as  was  in  him,  comprehended 
the  effect  clearly.  He  was  well  satisfied  with  the 
result,  and  could  not  sufficiently  congratulate  him- 
self and  her  upon  what  he  called  "  her  extreme 
good  sense  "  in  quietly  accepting  the  inevitable,  and 
settling  down  to  the  situation  without  any  foolish 
resistance.  He  was  genuinely  thankful  to  her  for 
sparing  him  certain  scenes  he  had  vaguely  dreaded, 
—  the  form  of  discomfort  he  most  disliked. 

"  It  is  a  strong  little  face  and  a  brave  little  spirit," 
he  thought,  as  he  critically  surveyed  her  with  the 
mental  justice  he  did  all  things.  "  She  has  far  more 
force  and  intellect  than  I  gave  her  credit  for.  She 
needs  time  and  experience  to  develop  her;  but  I 
should  not  be  surprised  if  she  turned  out  something 
extraordinary.  At  any  rate,  it  is  a  blessing  that  I 
did  not  marry  a  little  fool,  who  would  have  annoyed 
me  with  complaints  and  tears." 

And  Reginald  sung  a  hymn  of  rejoicing  to  himself 
at  the  prospect  of  having  his  matrimonial  paths  made 
so  smooth,  and  was  more  punctiliously  courteous  to 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  199 

Christie  than  ever  ;  that  is,  when  he  was  with  her,  — 
when  he  was  not  being  more  than  courteous  to  some 
one  else. 

But  deeper  shadows  than  ever  come  into  a  pure 
sorrow  were  stealing  into  Christie's  sky  even  before 
their  return ;  before  they  were  settled  in  their  new 
home-life. 

The  faint  disturbance  of  a  false  faith  is  the  be- 
ginning of  the  end.  When  the  tide  of  righteous 
distrust  is  kept  back  by  merely  artificial'  barriers, 
it  is,  after  the  first  crumbling,  only  a  question  of 
time  as  to  when  the  sea  of  doubt  will  rush  in. 
Even  a  faith  which  has  a  foundation  is  like  a 
magic  spell,  —  every  thing  or  nothing,  —  and,  once 
injured,  can  never  regain  its  pristine  perfection.  In 
losing  her  belief  in  Reginald's  love  for  her,  she 
had  lost  more  than  that :  she  had  parted  forever 
with  her  capacity  for  blind  belief  in  any  thing.. 
Doubt  had  entered  in  as  a  slave  where  he  would 
soon  reign  as  a  sovereign.  Having  once  been  fear- 
fully mistaken,  and,  as  she  supposed,  self-deluded,  in 
giving  credence  to  that  which  seemed  as  secure  as 
her  own  identity,  she  was  forced  to  suspect  and 
examine  every  other  belief  she  possessed.  "Life's 
necessary  scepticism  (in  the  original  sense  of  the 
word)  had  been  born  within  her,  —  with  what  agony 
and  struggle,  she  alone  knew;  and  henceforth  she 


200  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

must  look  at  all  things  with  the  eyes  and  the 
reason  God  had  given  her.  If  what  had  seemed 
granite  rock  under  her  feet  had  given  way,  might 
not  any  thing  else  in  heaven  or  earth  prove  an  illu- 
sion ?  Her  day  of  fond  delusions  was  over :  she  was 
compelled  to  give  her  intellect,  as  well  as  her  heart, 
a  place  in  her  existence. 

She  had  no  longer  the  power  to  accept  blindly  even 
the  character  of  the  man  she  adored,  and  for  whom 
she  would  gladly  have  died.  In  spite  of  herself, 
without  realizing  the  truth  concerning  him  for  either 
past  or  present,  she  vaguely  grew  to  feel  that  the 
person  she  had  married  was  not  the  person  she  sup- 
posed him  to  be.  Actual,  personal  sin  was  to  her  so 
horrible  a  thing,  that  she  did  not  dream  of  imputing 
it  to  him ;  she  would  as  soon  have  connected  him 
with  any  crime  against  the  law  of  the  land  :  but,  shut 
it  out  as  she  might,  the  knowledge  would  steal  in 
upon  her  that  their  standards  of  right  and  wrong 
differed  widely,  if  not  fatally.  She  held  with  a  death- 
grasp  to  her  old  boundless  loyalty  and  admiration; 
but  the  power  of  truth  baffled  her  efforts.  As  it 
were,  she  had  erected  a  noble  temple  within  her 
heart  fo  his  homage  :  she  still  maintained  the  splendid 
edifice ;  she  chanted  the  service,  and  kept  the  sacred 
fire  burning,  with  more  than  devoted  care  ;  but  the 
whole  structure  was  undermined  to  its  fall,  though 
she  was  unconscious  of  the  fact. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  201 

Without  being  aware  of  it,  Reginald,  like  all  men, 
displayed  his  real  character  in  every  word,  look,  and 
act,  to  eyes  keen  and  clear  enough  for  the  seeing. 
The  change  was  not  in  him,  but  in  Christie's  mental 
vision,  which  was  surely  but  slowly  developing  to  its 
native  power  and  acuteness.  The  torture  of  the  pro- 
cess might  be  measured  by  her  passionate  resistance 
to  it.  Reginald  did  not  willingly  assist  her  clear- 
sightedness. He  no  longer  affected  the  devotion  of  a 
lover;  but  he  preserved  the  silence,  the  decent  re- 
spect, which  he  always  maintained  before  what  are 
called  good  women.  Reginald  Archer  was  a  thorough- 
ly bad  man ;  but  he  was  also  a  thoroughly  well-bred 
one.  He  would  calmly  ruin  a  woman  for  time  and 
eternity  ;  but  he  was  incapable  of  offering  one  what 
he  would  have  considered  an  unnecessary  insult.  He 
would  no  more  have  spoken  to  Christie  of  any  of  the 
women  with  whom  he  had  sinned  than  he  would 
have  introduced  them  to  her  personally ;  he  would  no 
more  have  alluded  to  one  of  them  in  her  presence 
than  he  would  have  struck  her  full  in  the  face  ;  hold- 
ing one  act  as  possible  in  a  gentleman  as  the  other. 
In  the  distant  days,  when  that  which  was  now  the 
dreadful  future  had  become  the  dreadful  past,  and 
Christie  looked  back  upon  her  married  life  as  upon 
a  frightful  dream,  at  least  she  had  not  this  insult  to 
remember  forever. 

9* 


202  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

In  this  early  time,  she  had  only  that  impalpable  some- 
thing which  seems  to  exhale  from  the  whole  nature 
of  a  person  to  guide  her  newly-awakened  perception ; 
but  it  was  sufficient  to  bring  her  far  nearer  the  truth 
than  she  knew  or  comprehended. 

This  was  the  state  of  feeling  and  of  mind  in  which, 
after  two  months  of  travel,  she  returned  to  the  city. 
No  event  had  happened  that  she  could  define,  no  mis- 
fortune that  she  could  explain,  no  grievance  that  she 
could  put  into  words ;  yet  to  her  all  life  was  changed, 
and  the  merry  girl  who  had  left  her  friends  upon  that 
bright  bridal  morning  came  back  to  them  no  more. 
In  her  place  they  found  an  indefinably  altered  woman, 
with  whom  they  had  a  singular  consciousness  of  mak- 
ing a  new  acquaintance. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

"  rT^OM,"  said  Maria  slowly  and  hesitatingly,  and 
JL  then  sat  silently  looking  at  him  for  a  moment. 
It  was  the  morning  after  Reginald's  return  :  she 
had  been  at  his  house  to  welcome  him  upon  his  arri- 
val, and  to  make  it  seem  to  Christie  really  like  com- 
ing home.  She  had  dined  and  spent  the  evening 
with  them ;  and  was  now,  at  the  breakfast-table,  giv- 
ing Tom  an  account  of  every  thing  connected  with 
her  visit.  She  had  told  with  spirit  all  that  had  been 
said  and  done,  adding  the  many  particulars  interest- 
ing to  herself  and  to  her  brother. 

But  there  was  one  point  upon  which  she  had  not 
touched,  and  upon  which  he  could  not  question  her. 
Had  Christie  brought  back  her  pure,  happy  heart, 
her  blissful  blindness?  If  the  truth  had  begun  to 
break  upon  her,  she  would  hardly  allow  the  evidence 
of  it  to  be  perceptible  even  to  Maria's  kind  eyes. 
Still  he  waited,  he  scarcely  knew  for  what,  —  for  some 
chance  word  or  information  from  which  he  could 
draw  his  own  conclusions.  The  others  had  left  the 

203 


204  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

table ;  but  he  sat  "lingering  over  his  breakfast,  though 
it  was  past  his  usual  hour  for  going  down  to  his 
office. 

"  Tom,"  she  said  again ;  and  something  in  the  tone 
and  the  perplexed  expression  in  her  face  forewarned 
him  that  what  he  desired  was  coming. 

He  looked  up  quickly  at  her. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  merely  my  imagination,  and  perhaps 
it  may  not  strike  you  in  the  same  light  when  you  see 
her;  but  Christie  seems  to  me  to  be  changed." 

"  In  what  way  ?  "  he  asked,  a  catch  in  his  breath 
making  his  sentence  short. 

"  My  God !  "  he  thought,  "  has  it  come  so  soon  ? 
And  what  is  it  ?  Is  it  only  sorrow,  the  beginning  of 
a  long  heart-breaking  ?  or  has  the  poison  of  his  moral 
nature  contaminated  her  already  ?  " 

"I  hardly  know  how  to  explain  it  to  you,"  Maria 
went  on  doubtfully.  "  She  was  quicker  and  brighter 
than  ever ;  talked  more  and  better  than  I  ever  knew 
her  to  do  :  yet  she  did  not  seem  as  really  gay  as  she 
used  to  at  this  table.  I  could  not  help  thinking  she 
was  under  a  kind  of  constraint,  for  which  I  could  see 
no  reason,"  she  continued,  looking  earnestly  at  her 
brother ;  for  she  truly  loved  the  girl,  and  had  like- 
wise boundless  faith  in  Tom's  perception,  and  powers 
of  succor.  "  Besides,  she  seemed  to  have  gained  a 
hard  side  to  her  character." 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  205 

"  Most  things  have  a  hard  side,  which  are  not 
analogous  to  mush,"  he  answered,  with  an  irritation 
which  was  really  soreness  of  heart.  He  could  not 
bear  criticism  upon  her,  let  his  own  judgment  be 
what  it  might. 

"But  you  know  she  used  always  to  think  that 
every  one  acted  from  the  highest  motives ;  and  last 
night,  from  several  things  she  said,  I  could  not  help 
believing  that  she  had  changed  that  opinion.  Then 
she  isn't  half  as  affectionate  as  she  used  to  be ;  and, 
when  I  kissed  her  several  times  at  parting,  she  gave 
me  a  curious,  questioning  little  look,  which  I  could 
not  help  thinking  of  all  the  way  home.  I  can't  bear 
to  believe  that  Christie  is  growing  cold  and  worldly 
already;  but  it  really  seems  so,"  this  good,  kind 
woman  went  on,  with  the  injustice  of  ignorance. 

"  Tom,"  she  exclaimed  a  second  after,  speaking 
hurriedly,  and  as  though  ashamed  to  give  voice  to  her 
doubt,  "  there  is  no  use  in  our  trying  to  conceal  from 
each  other  that  Reginald  is  a  very  selfish  man.  Do 
you  think  it  possible  that  he  could  have  ill  treated 
her,  or  made  her  unhappy  ?  " 

"  If  you  mean,"  bitterly  exclaimed  Tom,  who  had 
been  sitting  looking  straight  before  him,  with  his 
mouth  held  firmly  shut,  "  that  he  has  either  struck 
her  or  starved  her,  I  can  answer,  No.  Further  than 
that  I  can't  guarantee.  But  whatever  may  be  the 


206  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

matter,  Maria,"  he  added,  "  you  and  I  can  do  noth- 
ing, and  ought  to  say  nothing."  And  he  rose  wearily, 
and  went  off  to  the  daily  treadmill  of  his  work, 
which  at  least  afforded  the  relief  of  partial  occupa- 
tion of  his  thoughts. 

But  the  effect  of  Maria's  words  went  with  him. 
The  pain  and  doubt  they  had  re-awakened  were  busy 
at  his  heart  as  he  sat  in  his  counting-room,  bending 
down  his  faculties  to  important  business-letters  and 
mercantile  plans.  His  chief  clerk,  who  came  in  to 
bring  him  the  latest  gold-quotations  and  to  receive 
Ins  orders  concerning  certain  importations,  listened 
with  admiration  to  the  clear  instructions  and  shrewd 
reasons  Tom  gave  him  for  acting  in  some  cases,  and 
refraining  in  others. 

"What  a  cool,  steady,  money -making  fellow 
he  is !  "  thought  the  man,  looking  enthusiastically  at 
the  head  of  the  house ;  "  and  what  a  splendid  capaci- 
ty he  has  for  knowing  his  own  mind,  and  holding  to 
it !  I  suppose  he  has  no  nerves,  and  nothing  disturbs 
him.  He's  like  steel,  he's  so  keen  and  hard  and 
true,"  he  added,  with  that  loyalty  and  absolute 
confidence  which  Tom  inspired  in  all  his  subor- 
dinates. 

To  have  suspected  his  chief  of  heartache,  of  weary 
doubt  of  himself  and  others,  would  have  struck  him 
as  a  magnificent  joke. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  207 

"  He  isn't  very  sentimental,  to  be  sure ;  and  he  can 
speak  pretty  sharply  when  there's  any  shirking  around 
him :  but  give  him  time,  and  he  will  be  worth  his 
millions ;  and  that's  what  he  cares  most  for,  I  sup- 
pose," was  the  man's  somewhat  natural  thought  as 
he  went  off  to  execute  his  orders ;  and  Tom  turned 
again  to  his  writing-desk. 

It  was  noon  before  he  was  again  interrupted. 

The  door  opened,  and  Reginald  entered,  just  as  he 
had  done  at  about  that  hour  for  nearly  every  day  in 
the  past  five  years. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Tom  ?  "  he  asked  in  his  most 
charming  and  charmed  manner.  "  I  am  really  de- 
lighted to  see  you ! "  and  he  spoke  the  exact  truth. 

"  I  am  very  well,"  answered  Tom  quietly,  neither 
rising,  nor  offering  his  hand,  nor  welcoming  his 
brother  in  any  way.  He  had  no  pleasure  in  seeing 
him  there ;  and  he  would  make  no  pretence  of  it. 

Reginald  sank  back  into  his  usual  seat,  which  he 
had  long  since  ascertained  to  be  the  most  agreeable 
in  the  room,  and  by  his  peculiar  faculty  looked 
more  at  his  ease  under  these  somewhat  repressing 
"circumstances  than  any  one  else  could  have  done 
under  the  most  favorable  surroundings. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  said  airily,  "  I  spare  you  the 
trouble  of  likening  me  to  the  bad  shilling  in  the 
proverb,  which  was  sure  to  come  back;  though 


208  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

the  comparison  is  so  in  keeping  with  the  general 
monetary  atmosphere  of  this  place,  that  I  cannot 
help  making  it.  I  am  perfectly  aware  that  you  had 
much  rather  I  had  staid  away ;  but  I  have  made  my 
first  visit  in  town  to  you,  because  I  really  wanted 
to  see  you.  The  fact  is,  old  boy,  I  have  missed  you, 
as  I  always  do." 
.  Tom  looked  at  his  brother. 

The  other's  liking  for  him,  and  persistent  clinging 
to  him,  were,  perhaps,  nothing  more  than  refined  self- 
ishness, and  love  of  entertainment ;  but,  so  far  as  they 
went,  they  were  certainly  genuine :  and  that  strange 
tie  of  blood,  which  lasts  so  long,  and  bears  unbroken 
so  many  strains,  faintly  stirred  again  at  Tom's  heart. 
Let  him  be  what  he  might,  the  man  was  his  brother : 
he  could  not  utterly  divorce  himself  from  him :  he 
must,  in  a  certain  degree,  accept  him,  as  he  did  the 
rest  of  his  lot  in  life.  If  he  could  not  distract  him 
from  some  of  his  evil  purposes,  at  least  he  might  be 
able  to  ward  off  from  innocent  heads  the  conse- 
quences of  the  sin  and  sorrow  he  foresaw.  If  he 
utterly  threw  him  off,  as  his  instinct  dictated ;  if  he 
shut  his  doors  against  him  to  save  himself  from  the 
pain  and  disgust  caused  even  by  his  presence,  —  might 
he  not  repent  it  in  after-days  ?  Above  all,  if  the  time 
ever  came  for  him  to  fulfil  his  promise  to  Christie, 
might  he  not  be  putting  it  out  of  his  power  to 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  209 

redeem  his  pledge  ?  He  would  not  disguise  or  com- 
promise any  honest  opinion,  there  or  thereafter: 
but  he  would  control  the  evidence  of  his  personal 
revolting ;  he  would  try  to  put  aside  his  individual 
share  in  the  situation,  and  let  the  outward  bond  of 
their  relationship  and  association  remain  intact.  He 
thought,  or  rather  felt,  all  this  out  in  the  moment  he 
sat  silently  gazing  at  his  brother. 

Reginald  caught  the  change  in  Tom's  eyes,  and, 
interpreting  it,  acted  upon  it  instantly. 

"  I  came  in  this  morning  to  ask  a  special  favor  of 
you,  Tom,"  he  said,  — "  not  any  of  the  old  kind," 
he  exclaimed  a  second  after,  with  a  laugh,  as  his  own 
form  of  expression  struck  him.  "  It  really  gives  me 
a  delightfully  novel  sensation.to  come  into  this  room 
without  breaking  the  tenth  commandment,  —  without 
coveting  my  neighbor's  goods  iri  the  shape  of  checks 
and  bank-notes." 

As  Reginald  mentioned  the  tenth  commandment, 
there  flashed  upon  both  men  a  consciousness  of  how 
often  one  of  them  broke  it  outside  of  that  apartment 
by  coveting  his  neighbor's  wife,  and  what  a  tremen- 
dous temptation  was  now  upon  the  other  to  do  like- 
wise. But  neither  cared  to  show  his  own  thought, 
nor  to  recognize  that  of  the  other ;  and  Reginald  con- 
tinued, without  change  in  voice  or  manner,  to  give 
proof  of  what  was  in  his  mind. 


210  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  and  dine  with  me  to- 
morrow." 

Tom's  refusal  was  written  so  plainly  in  his  face, 
that  his  brother  answered  it  without  giving  him  a 
chance  to  put  it  into  words.  9 

"  Oh !  you  must  come ;  the  family  honor  demands  it," 
he  exclaimed,  touching  a  string  which  he  knew  would 
respond.  "  It  is  to  be  a  little  house-warming  for  our 
intimate  friends ;  and  it  would  be  absolutely  disrepu- 
table for  the  head  of  the  family  to  be  absent.  I  can't 
let  you  off  on  my  own  account,  or  yours  either." 

Had  it  been  any  other  man  whom  he  wished  to 
secure  for  his  own  purposes,  and  whom  he  knew  to 
have  a  tenderness  for  his  wife,  he  would  have  coolly 
used  her  name  and  influence  to  gain  him ;  but  he 
understood  his  brother  far  too  well  to  bring  Christie 
into  the  discussion. 

Yet  it  was  the  thought  of  her,  though  not  in  the 
way  Reginald  would  have  supposed,  which  was  really 
drawing,  almost  compelling,  Tom  to  give  an  affirmative 
answer.  Maria's  words  in  the  morning  were  upon 
him  again  in  their  full  force. 

"  I  must  see  for  myself  how  much  there  was  in 
them.  I  cannot  bear  the  suspense  of  doubting  her ; 
and,  if  the  worst  is  coming,  I  had  better  know  it,  and 
face  it  beforehand.  I  shall  probably  do  no  more  than 
speak  to  her :  but,  if  I  can  watch  her  for  a  little 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  211 

while,  I  think  I  can  get  at  the  truth ;  I  can  tell 
whether  she  is  beginning  to  lower  to  his  level." 

His  brother's  argument  as  to  what  was  decorous 
for  the  family  respectability  certainly  had  its  weight ; 
but  it  was  a  far  deeper  feeling  which  made  him  give 
a  partial  promise  to  be  present. 

"  You  know  I  am  not  much  of  a  society-man,  and 
I  had  much  rather  be  left  out,  Reginald,"  he  de- 
murred. 

"  But  you  can't  be  left  out ;  because  who  would 
entertain  me  ?  "  the  other  answered,  giving  his  real 
reason  ;  "  or  play  god-father  to  our  first-born  party  ?  " 
he  added,  neatly  bringing  in  a  somewhat  less  selfish 
plea,  and  transferring  the  argument  to  safer  grounds. 

"Well,  I  will  think  about  it,"  said  Tom.  But 
Reginald  felt  that  he  had  won  the  day. 

"  You*might  as  well  come  to  it  at  once  ;  for  I  give 
you  fair  warning  that  I  will  not  let  you  off." 

And  then,  elated  by  having  gained  his  wish  and  a 
difficult  victory,  he  expended  his  entire  force  of  fasci- 
nation upon  his  brother  for  a  full  hour ;  enjoying 
himself  inexpressibly,  and  literally  compelling  the 
other  to  share  his  pleasure  in  some  degree. 

The  old  sorrowful,  hopeless,  generous  admiration 
came  over  Tom  as  he  looked  and  listened ;  softened 
his  heart,  and  almost  stayed  his  judgment  for  the 
moment. 


212  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  Good-by ! "  said  Reginald  at  last ;  and,  with  an 
imperceptible  glance  at  his  brother's  face  to  see  if  it 
would  be  safe  to  do  so,  he  put  out  his  hand  to  him. 

Tom  hesitated  visibly ;  and  then,  with  a  weary 
sense  that  it  was  useless  for  him  to  struggle  against 
the  tie  which  connected  them,  took  the  other's  palm 
in  friendly  farewell,  as  he  had  supposed  he  should 
never  do  again.  And  Reginald  departed  radiant  with 
satisfaction. 

"  We  are  all  to  dine  with  Reginald  to-morrow,  you 
know,"  Maria  said  as  they  sat  round  the  dinner- 
table. 

"  He  called  at  my  counting-room  and  invited  me 
this  morning,"  was  Tom's  inconclusive  reply. 

"  He  sent  me  a  special  invitation,"  remarked  Ar- 
nold; "but  I  hardly  think  I  shall  go."  And,  as  he 
spoke,  he  seemed  to  have  more  than  his  usual*difficulty 
in  disposing  of  his  long  limbs.  "  Are  you  going, 
Tom  ?  "  he  asked  a  little  wistfully. 

"  Yes,  and  I  am  going  to  take  you  with  me  ;  for  you 
will  certainly  enjoy  yourself  after  you  get  there," 
Tom  answered  pleasantly. 

And  thus  it  was  that  the  next  night  saw  the  whole 
party,  with  Lloyd  Truxton  added  as  Ellen's  escort, 
enter  Reginald's  house.  They  were  rather  late,  and 
the  company  had  assembled.  Torn  had  scarcely  more 
than  a  moment,  before  the  announcement  of  dinner, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  213 

in  which  to  make  his  salutations  to  Christie  and  his 
swift  observation  of  her. 

She  was  standing  at  the  head  of  the  room,  looking 
fair  and  lovely  .  in  her  bright  evening-dress,  from 
which,  at  Reginald's  express  desire,  all  signs  of 
mourning  had  been  discarded.  She  was  smilingly 
receiving  her  friends,  and  gayly  talking  to  those 
around  her  ;  but  Tom  had  not  reached  her  before  he 
saw  and  realized  the  change  of  which  Maria  had 
spoken. 

"  She  looks  two  inches  taller  and  five  years  older 
than  she  did  when  she  went  away,"  he  thought  in 
astonishment,  "  and  has  more  society  air  and  style 
than  I  supposed  she  would  ever  possess." 

Reginald's  prophecy,  that  Christie  would  become  a 
very  stylish  woman,  was  even  then  being  fulfilled: 
indeed,  he  had  diligently  striven  during  his  short 
married  life  to  bring  about  that  result. 

Tom  had  entered  the  room  with  a  heavy  beating  at 
his  heart,  which  made  him  faint  and  sick.  He  had 
prepared  himself  for  the  meeting :  but  it  was  no  light 
effort  which  enabled  him  to  go  up  that  room  with  the 
composure  of  a  well-bred  gentleman ;  to  keep  his  tone 
and  look  merely  that  of  pleasant,  appropriate  cordi- 
ality. The  alteration  in  her,  however,  came  to  his  aid. 
It  was  possible  to  greet  conventionally  the  somewhat 
conventional  lady  who  stood  smiling  before  him,  as 


214  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

she  had  done  before  a  dozen  others ;  whose  poise  was 
such  as  scarcely  to  permit  its  absence  in  any  one  else. 

Again,  with  the  curious  adaptability  of  women,  this 
inexperienced  girl  filled  an  unaccustomed  rdle  with 
perfect  ease  and  fitness.  This  was  hardly  his  Christie, 
the  loving,  childlike  creature,  the  thought  of  whom 
had  never  left  his  waking  and  scarcely  his  sleeping 
moments  since  their  parting ;  and  he  found  it  within 
his  power  to  address  her  with  perfect  steadiness. 

"I  am  very  glad  to  welcome  you  home,  Christie," 
he  said  as  he  held  her  hand  for  a  moment. 

"And  I. am  very  glad  to  be  welcomed,"  she  an- 
swered, with  a  smile  she  might  have  given  any  one  ; 
and  then  he  stood  aside  to  allow  some  one  else  to 
speak  to  her. 

He  had  no  time  to  study  her  face  more  closely,  for 
dinner  was  announced  ;  and  he  found  that  Reginald 
had  secured  him  at  his  end  of  the  table,  with  the 
next  best  talker  within  speaking-distance.  The  meal 
was  an  affair  of  state,  and  occupied  hours ;  and  sus- 
taining his  part  in  the  conversation,  and  apparently 
engrossed  in  the  topics  broached,  Tom  found  much 
time  and  opportunity  for  quiet  observation  of  the 
fair  young  face  presiding  at  the  other  end  of  the 
table.  She  was  brightly  entertaining  those  near  her  ; 
and  he  watched  the  varied  expressions  which  passed 
over  her  countenance.  But  whether  it  were  made 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  215 

brilliant  by  smiles,  or  whether  it  sank  suddenly  and 
apparently  unconsciously  into  a  strange,  weary  grav- 
ity, from  which  it  emerged  just  as  abruptly,  there 
was  always  in  it  that  curious  new  something  which 
it  had  acquired  since  their  parting,  —  something 
which  the  face  of  old  could  never  have  expressed, 
which  the  heart  of  old  could  never  have  experi- 
enced. It  was  no  less  plain  through,  gay ety  of  lip, 
and  glitter  of  eye ;  it  was  no  more  clear  when  pre- 
occupied blankness  stood  in  their  place. 

"  She  has  acquired  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil ;  but  is  it  bitter,  or  sweet,  to  her  ?  "  was  the  ques- 
tion which  kept  rising  in  his  mind.  "  Her  eyes  are 
as  bright  and  clear  as  ever ;  but  they  are  not  as  frank 
as  they  used  to  be.  They  have  acquired  the  power 
to  look,  yet  refuse  to  be  looked  into  :  she  has  learned 
merely  to  see,  instead  of  thinking,  feeling,  and  speak- 
ing with  them,  as  she  once  did.  She  has  gained  the 
ability  to  keep  back  part  of  the  price  ;  but  what  is  it 
she  is  guarding  so  carefully  ?  Is  it  bitter  disappoint- 
ment that  is  already  graven  into  her  face  ?  By  this 
time,  she  must  know  something  of  Reginald's  real 
nature,  however  little  she  may  know  of  his  life  ;  and 
that  strange  change  in  her  face  looks  to  me  like  the 
dawning  knowledge  that  there  is  no  love  on  his  side, 
and,  worse  still,  that  there  can  be  no  respect  on  hers 
I  wonder  how  much  she  knows  of  the  truth." 


216  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

And  thinking  of  what  that  truth  was,  and  gazing 
at  the  woman  he  loved,  with  its  shadow  resting  upon 
her  even  then,  his  old  loathing  for  his  brother  rushed 
over  him  with  such  force,  that  the  veiy  food  upon  his 
lips  sickened  him. 

"  I  despise  myself  for  coming  here  and  hobnobbing 
with  him,  for  eating  his  salt,  knowing  what  I  know, 
and  thinking  what  I  think." 

"  Tom,  you  must  be  having  a  '  revery  of  a  bache- 
lor,' laughed  his  opposite  neighbor,  having  previously 
spoken  to  him  without  gaining  an  answer. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Tom,  smiling,  and  joining  in  the 
general  conversation. 

But  his  thoughts  flowed  on  in  their  previous  chan- 
nel, the  deep  undercurrent  holding  its  own  beneath 
the  tide  of  light  talk. 

"  Starved  and  hungry-hearted  already  I  And  is 
she  trying  to  satisfy  her  nature  by  tasting  the  impure 
food  Reginald  lives  on  ?  He  will  never  stop  her ;  as 
indeed,  in  common  justice,  he  has  no  right  to  do, 
being  what  he  is.  But*  is  she  beginning  to  think 
that  it  is  better  and  happier  and  wiser  to  make  the 
best  of  her  bad  bargain  by  folio  whig  his  example, 
and  accepting  his  standard  ?  " 

At  that  moment,  with  this  horrible  dread  con- 
tracting his  heart,  Tom  Archer,  the  shrewd,  calcu- 
lating, unromantic  trader  of  the  shrewd,  calculating, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  217 

unromantic  nineteenth  century,  realized  what  the  old 
Roman  must  have  felt  when  he  slew  with  his  own 
hand  the  being  he  loved  best,  rather  than  let  her  live 
dishonored. 

"  Better  in  her  grave,  better  that  those  bridal 
flowers  should  be  her  burial  wreath,  than  that  a  day 
which  may  be  coming  should  ever  dawn,"  he  thought 
literally  and  sincerely.  "  She  has  passed  the  critical 
turning  in  her  moral  life ;  but  has  she  taken  the 
upward,  or  the  downward  road  ? "  And  he  could 
give  no  certain  answer. 

The  doubt  haunted  him  like  an  evil  spirit,  stand- 
ing between  his  inward  thought  and  his  conscious- 
ness of  the  outward  world,  whispering  suspicions 
between  his  own  careless  sentences  and  quick  retorts, 
and  ceaselessly  repeating  his  sad  forebodings  like  the 
sorrowful  refrain  of  a  gay  song. 

Tom  had  noticed  at  the  first  moment  that  Christie 
wore  her  diamond  cross  at  her  white  throat. 

"  I  wonder  if  she  wears  it  because  it  happens  to 
be  costly  and  becoming,  or  whether  it  still  has  any  of 
the  associations  I  tried  to  connect  with  it  ?  "  he  ques- 
tioned. "  If  I  could  find  out  that,  it  would  give  me 
the  clew  I  want." 

But  divided  by  the  length  of  that  splendid  table, 
with  its  burden  of  fruits  and  flowers,  its  glittering 

glass  and  shining  silver,  and  its  circle  of  gay  guests, 
10 


218  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

he  saw  little  chance  to  gain  his  object,  —  even  to  speak 
light  words  to  her,  far  less  serious  ones.  It  seemed 
to  him  like  a  dreadful  fantasy  or  demon-dance  to  see 
the  whole  gorgeous  effect ;  to  hear  the  sweet  laughter 
and  merry  words,  and  to  know  what  they  covered. 
Reginald  slightly  flushed  with  wine,  looking  like 
a  radiant  demi-god,  and  talking  in  the  tones  of  an 
enchanter,  yet  being  what  he  was,  with  such  a  past 
at  his  back ;  Christie  shining  like  a  star,  and  beam- 
ing as  brightly,  but  with  a  present  crushing  her 
nature,  and  a  future  darkly  gathering  in  the  distance  ; 
himself  with  his  heart  bleeding,  and  his  brain  tor- 
turing itself  with  doubts  and  fears,  yet  talking  as 
though  life  were  an  endless,  merry  feast,  sending  out 
quick  sentences  which  seemed  to  scintillate  with  their 
own  keen  brilliancy,  —  the  whole  scene  gave  him 
an  impulse  to  cry  out  wildly,  as  though  that  might 
break  some  terrible  spell  which  was  upon  them. 

"  Are  we  all  acting  our  parts  in  some  mad  comedy  ? 
and  have  we  all  brought  our  private  demons  with  us 
to  torture  us?  "  he  thought  as  he  glanced  round  him 
with  a  sense  of  unreality  ;  persons  and  things  becom- 
ing almost  phantasmagorial  before  his  eyes. 

There  are  times,  when,  compelled  to  maintain  an 
inner  and  outer  character,  to  feel  and  act  in  direct 
contradiction,  our  conviction  of  our  own  identity 
wavers.  We  have  a  curious  sense  of  duality;  and 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  219 

this  slight  unsettling  of  the  fundamental  point,  that 
we  are  unchangeably  ourselves,  gives  the  most  singu- 
lar feeling  of  insecurity  and  incertitude  with  regard 
to  all  else.  We  fall  into  a  state  in  which  strange 
fancies  and  imaginations  take  hold  upon  us  with  a 
power,  which,  in  ordinary  moments,  would  seem  ab- 
surd. Our  customary  natures  fail  to  influence  us  ; 
and  we  are  revelations  to  ourselves  of  our  possibili- 
ties of  vagary.  Practical,  clear-headed  Tom  Archer 
was  the  last  man  to  be  susceptible  to  such  fantasies ; 
but  the  sensation  was  none  the  less  strongly  upon 
him :  and  when,  at  last,  the  dinner  was  over,  and  he 
came  out  into  the  drawing-room,  it  was  with  a  feel- 
ing of  awakening  from  a  bad  dream. 

It  was  late ;  and,  to  Tom's  great  relief,  the  com- 
pany soon  departed.  One  by  one  they  left,  until 
only  the  family  remained. 

Reginald,  who  had  been  uncommonly  gracious  to 
Arnold  that  evening,  partly  from  whim,  and  partly 
because  he  knew  it  would  please  Tom,  had  taken 
him,  with  Lloyd  Truxton,  to  an  adjoining  room,  to 
show  him  a  new  picture.  Ellen  and  Maria  had  gone 
up  stairs  to  put  on  their  wrappings ;  and  thus  Tom  and 
Christie  were  left  momentarily  alone.  He  was  stand- 
ing in  the  cool,  softly-lighted  hall,  when  the  pretty 
figure,  with  its  flowing  evening  draperies,  came  to  the 
drawing-room  door,  and,  seeing  him,  joined  him. 


220  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  Alone,  Tom ! "  she  said  brightly,  but  with  the 
manner  she  had  had  all  the  evening.  "  I  thought  you 
had  gone  with  Reginald  to  see  his  last  pet  purchase." 

"  No,"  he  answered:  "  I  preferred  staying  here,  as 
it  was  cooler." 

"  Then  I'll  compensate  you  for  your  loss  by  show- 
ing you  a  statue,  which  was  his  pet  purchase  before 
the  last.  This  is  the  dethroned  princess,  whose  reign 
was  uncommonly  long,  for  she  amused  him  almost  a 
week !  "  she  exclaimed,  turning  to  a  lovely  marble  at 
her  side,  and  speaking  with  a  gay  mockery,  which 
was  very  graceful  and  charming,  but  through  which 
a  faint  tone  of  bitter  earnestness  jarred  like  smoth- 
ered discord. 

Tom  made  no  corresponding  movement,  and  paid 
little  heed  to  her  words,  though  the  tone  thrilled 
through  him.  His  chance  had  come  ;  and  he  seized 
it,  like  the  resolute  man  that  he  was. 

"  Christie,"  he  exclaimed,  and  his  voice,  more  than 
hi&  words,  spoke  his  meaning  to  the  woman,  "  you 
still  wear  my  cross  !  Is  it  still  the  talisman  I  told 
you  I  meant  it  to  be  ?" 

The  woman  gave  him  one  swift  glance,  so  intense 
that  it  seemed  to  read  his  very  soul ;  the  glance  which, 
alas !  she  now  gave  every  thing,  —  that  of  weigh- 
ing and  testing  it  to  the  uttermost  before  daring  to 
trust  it.  With  his  strong,  true  eyes,  Tom  Archer 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  221 

faced  her  look  as  he  would  have  faced  the  highest  of 
all  tribunals. 

In  another  second  she  had  changed  as  though  by 
magic.  All  her  restrained,  acquired  manner  had 
dropped  from  her  like  a  garment ;  and  she  was  stand- 
ing before  him  with  hands  tightly  clasped,  as  though 
to  keep  back  a  flood  of  emotion  which  would  have 
swept  her  away,  with  tears  filling  the  eyes  which 
were  raised  with  such  passionate  earnestness  to  his. 

"  Tom,  dear  Tom,"  said  the  low,  quivering  voice, 
which  hardly  dared  to  trust  itself,  "  I  thank  you  for 
your  gift,  as  I  was  too  ignorant  to  know  how  to  do 
when  we  parted.  I  have  learned  its  worth  and  its 
need ;  and  J  bless  and  thank  you  for  it ;  I "  —  The 
voice  failed,  and  the  head  drooped  down  upon  the 
breast. 

All  Tom's  mighty  love  and  infinite  pity  rushed 
over  him,  until  he  shook  from  head  to  foot.  He  put 
out  his  arms  with  a  wild  desire  to  take  her  to  his 
heart,  and  lavish  its  pent-up  devotion  upon  her.  She 
did  not  see  the  gesture ;  and  before  she  raised  her 
head,  and  partially  regained  her  self-control,  he,  too, 
had  remembered  himself  and  what  was  his  hard 
duty.  When  the  sad,  sweet  eyes  looked  up  at  him, 
they  met  a  glance  as  sad,  but  as  pure,  as  her  own ; 
and  the  strength  of  a  man  who  has  fought  a  good 
fight,  and  conquered,  was  in  them. 


222  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  Good-by ! "  he  said  gently.  "  We  may  not  see  each 
other  very  often  in  future ;  but  whether  we  meet, 
or  whether  we  part,  remember  my  promise  if  you 
ever  need  me.  Nothing  can  alter  that.  And,  Chris- 
tie, so  long  as  you  can  wear  the  cross,  and  carry  its 
lesson  in  your  heart,  I  shall  have  no  fear  for  you,  let 
come  what  will." 

"  Tom !  "-  cried  Reginald's  voice,  "  where  are  you  ? 
I  thought  you  were  coming  with  us."  And  he  and 
Arnold  and  Lloyd  came  out  into  the  hall  also. 

Christie  turned  to  speak  to  Maria,  who  was  de- 
scending the  stairway ;  and  Tom  made  some  common- 
place excuse  to  his  brother  for  his  desertion  ;  while 
Reginald  began  again  to  talk  to  him,  with  the  gay 
eagerness  of  perfect  health  and  spirits,  in  a  way  to 
lead  any  one  to  suppose  that  he  had  not  spoken 
during  the  evening,  and  was  making  up  for  lost  time. 

As  Lloyd  Truxton  assisted  the  ladies  into  the 
carriage,  Tom  turned  at  the  front-door ;  looking 
back  into  the  superb  hall  to  see  his  far  more 
superb  brother  standing  there  in  all  his  pride  and 
glory,  and  the  lovely  woman's  face  beside  him  gazing 
forward  with  sad,  wistful  eyes. 

"  Good-by !"  he  said,  and  crossed  the  threshold; 
never  to  recross  it  until  the  tragedy  of  their  lives 
had  been  lived  out,  and  one  of  them  lay  dying.  For 
Tom  Archer  had  learned  a  deep  lesson  as  he  stood 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  223 

for  those  few  moments  at  Christie's  side ;  had  found 
that  he  could  not  see  her  suffer,  and  make  no  sign 
of  his  love ;  had  convinced  himself  that  he  must  put 
distance  between  them  if  he  hoped  to  keep  the 
thought  always  before  him  that  she  was  another 
man's  wife. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

OF  course,  with  Christie's  return,  and  entrance 
into  society,  it  became  "  everybody's "  duty 
to  call  upon  her,  —  a  duty  performed  with  extreme 
alacrity.  Fashion,  interest,  and  curiosity,  all  tended 
hi  the  same  direction,  and  produced  the  same  result. 
Her  life  gradually  became  a  round  of  receiving  visits, 
and  returning  them ;  and,  as  the  winter  season  be- 
gan, of  issuing  invitations,  and  accepting  others. 

Reginald's  determination  that  his  house  should  be 
popular  was  fully  carried  out ;  and  such  constant  and 
brilliant  entertainment  was  to  be  found  there,  that 
his  friends  began  to  have  an  impression  that  a  sort 
of  social  millennial  period  had  set  in.  Persons  who 
sincerely  hated  each  other;  who  had  disliked  Regi- 
nald in  his  poverty,  and  now  envied  him  in  his  pros- 
perity, —  these  eagerly  met  around  his  festive  board, 
unable  to  resist  its  fascinations. 

"  It  is  quite  a  case  of  the  lion  lying  down  with  the 
lamb,"  Reginald  answered,  as  Mrs.  Lester  laugh- 
ingly pointed  out  to  him  several  intimate  enemies 

224 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  225 

taking  wine  with  each  other  at  his  table.  "  Good 
heavens !  what  won't  society  men  and  women  do  for 
a  good  dinner  and  a  good  time !  and  right  enough 
they  are,"  he  added  with  a  sort  of  delighted  con- 
tempt. 

The  fact  that  the  remark  was  supremely  true  of 
the  person  addressed,  merely  gave  it  a  pleasant 
piquancy ;  for  he  was  aware  that  she  acted  upon  the 
advice  of  Dr.  Watts,  and  "  never  let  her  angry  pas- 
sions rise"  when  it  was  against  her  interest  to  do 
so.  When  there  was  any  thing  to  be  gained  by 
Christian  forbearance,  Mrs.  Lester  was  impervious 
to  any  insult  short  of  a  blow;  and  even  that  she 
would  have  ignored  if  she  could  have  kept  the 
occurrence  quiet,  or  could  have  told  her  own  ver- 
sion of  the  story  effectively  to  society.  Reginald 
could  have  made  no  speech  to  her  for  which  she 
would  have  given  up  the  advantages  of  his  house, 
the  fine  dinners  and  fine  company  she  met  there,  and 
the  occasional  convenience  of  his  carriages.  He  was 
not  afraid  that  Mrs.  Lester  would  make  a  personal 
application  of  his  words,  though  sure  she  would 
carry  them  to  the  individuals  commented  upon  at 
the  earliest  opportunity ;  but  he  feared  them  equally 
little  for  exactly  the  same  reasons. 

This  style  of  life  Reginald  enjoyed  to  the  full.     It 

was  the  flower  of  what  he  had  tasted  in  the  bud :  he 

10* 


226  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

was  master  where  he  had  previously  been  guest ;  and 
he  liked  the  position  much  better. 

He  had  resumed  his  old  habits  and  connections, 
but  had  thrown  a  sufficient  veil  over  them  to  pre- 
vent their  coming  to  Christie's  ears,  as  he  wished  to 
save  both  himself  and  her  the  annoyance  of  public 
scandal.  Reginald  never  outwardly  offended  against 
good  taste,  as  the  re-action  jarred  upon  Ms  nerves,  and 
disgusted  him  with  himself.  He  spent  but  a  small 
portion  of  his  time  within  his  own  doors ;  but  Chris- 
tie knew  too  little  of  him  or  of  the  world  for  the  fact 
to  excite  any  suspicion  on  her  part.  It  only  showed 
her  sadly  that  he  cared  nothing  for  his  home  unless 
it  were  made  brilliant  by  other  persons.  She  had 
learned  that  her  marriage  was  a  dreadful  mistake, 
though  she  still  dreamed  that  it  had  been  an  unwit- 
ting one  on  his  part  as  on  hers.  She  knew  that  his 
character  was  set  to  a  far  lower  standard  than  she 
had  imagined ;  but  she  still  loved  him  passionately, 
with  the  enthusiastic  admiration  which  his  charm 
of  person  and  manner  hourly  called  forth.  That  he 
had  deliberately  married  her  for  her  money  was  a 
thought  she  had  never  taken  in,  with  which  she 
would  not  have  insulted  the  man  she  even  yet  be- 
lieved him  to  be.  His  coming  step  still  made  her 
thrill  with  joy ;  but  she  was  so  conscious  that  he  did 
not  share  her  emotion,  that  his  presence  brought  pain 
as  well  as  pleasure. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  227 

She  also  found  that  her  own  time  was  very  much 
occupied ;  that  she  had  become  a  part  of  a  social  ma- 
chine which  carried  her  on  in  spite  of  herself.  She 
recognized  the  fact  that  society  has  its  bond-slaves, 
and  holds  them  to  task-work ;  that  in  her  case  there 
had  been  substituted  for  the  quiet  domestic  life  she 
loved  the  laborious  public  existence  she  disliked  but 
could  not  throw  off.  In  this  way,  Reginald  contrived, 
without  apparent  plan,  that  their  lives  should  be 
passed  chiefly  apart ;  leaving  him  room  for  the  liberty 
of  action  he  desired  for  himself,  and  which  he  was 
perfectly  willing  to  grant  to  her.  Christie's  dream 
of  hope  and  happiness  had  disappeared  as  completely 
as  though  it  had  never  been.  In  all  the  outward 
splendor  of  her  life,  she  walked  through  her  routine 
of  duties  a  hungry-hearted  woman ;  doubting  all 
around  her,  but  still  more  doubting  herself. 

The  women  she  met,  who  were  so  lavish  of  com- 
pliment and  apparent  kindness,  were  so  unlike  any 
thing  she  had  ever  known,  that,  by  turns,  they 
charmed,  shocked,  and  bewildered  her.  Most  of 
them  rather  liked  her,  as  she  was  sweet-tempered 
and  perfectly  generous ;  entering  into  no  rivalries, 
and  offering  them  favors  instead  of  offences.  At  first, 
they  had  the  instinctive  shame  to  put  a  bridle  upon 
their  tongues  and  restraint  upon  their  actions  in  her 
presence ;  to  let  only  that  part  of  their  natures  ap- 


228  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

pear  which  was  least  unlike  her  own :  but,  after  a 
little  while,  the  effort  was  too  great.  To  keep  up  a 
part  was  more  than  they  could  afford  to  do  for  any 
one's  comfort ;  and  gradually  they  disregarded  her, 
and  fell  back  into  their  old  ways. 

This  was  the  case  with  the  worst  portion ;  and  from 
them  she  shrank  as  completely  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  She  was  too  innocently  ignorant  to 
comprehend  half  that  was  said  before  her ;  but  she 
understood  enough  to  fill  her  with  shame  and  disgust. 
However,  living  in  the  same  circle,  she  was  neces- 
sarily thrown  with  them ;  especially  as  they  had 
no  scruple  in  pushing  themselves  upon  her,  and  in 
using  her  and  her  establishment  as  far  as  Reginald 
would  allow  it. 

The  kinder  class  of  these  women  compromised  the 
matter  with  themselves  by  keeping  away  from  Chris- 
tie, except  on  state  occasions ;  not  wishing  to  annoy 
"  the  foolish  child,"  as  they  considered  her,  and  still 
less  being  willing  to  bore  themselves  by  appearing 
other  than  they  were.  It  was  a  case  of  oil  and  water ; 
and  they  both  felt  it.  Each  was  a  restraint  upon  the 
other,  and  they  were  better  apart.  Those  who  spoke 
kindly  but  half-pityingly  of  her  behind  her  back 
were  just  those  of  whom  she  saw  least.  Consequent- 
ly, with  Christie's  many  acquaintances,  she  had  no 
friends,  and,  in  the  midst  of  her  constant  mingling 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  229 

with  the  gay  world,  was  as  curiously  alone  as  though 
a  magic  circle  had  been  drawn  around  her.  She  was 
conscious  at  all  times  that  not  incessant  intercourse 
and  nearness  of  association  lessened  in  any  degree 
the  distance  between  those  who  called  themselves 
her  friends,  but  who,  in  many  cases,  were  more  truly 
her  enemies ;  for  they  gradually  grew  to  dislike  her 
with  that  singular  intolerance  with  which  we  regard 
those  who  make  us  mentally,  physically,  and  morally 
uncomfortable . 

To  those  who  had  once  been  what  she  was  now 
she  brought  back  the  memory  of  pure,  innocent  days, 
which  seemed  like  a  ghost  come  to  haunt  them  ;  and 
they  hated  the  unconscious  cause  of  their  pain.  • 
Others  resented  the  contrast  she  made  with  them- 
selves. Dingy  white,  and  even  the  paler  shades  of 
gray,  may  look  quite  fair  and  pure  in  certain  judi- 
ciously-managed lights ;  but  let  immaculate  snow  be 
brought  near  them,  and  they  can  no  longer  hope  to  be 
mistaken  for  any  thing  but  what  they  are.  The  eye 
can  become  so  accustomed  to  a  large  deviation  from 
the  perpendicular,  that  it  may  seem  almost  straight ; 
but  let  $he  plummet  be  laid  to  it,  and  even  self- 
deception  becomes  impossible. 

It  was  this  office  which  Christie  unconsciously  per- 
formed for  the  set  of  women  Reginald  had  drawn 
around  her,  and  for  which  they  could  not  forgive 


230  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

her.  As  soon  as  they  found  that  they  could  not 
make  her  in  spirit  as  well  as  in  form  one  of  them- 
selves, they  instinctively  turned  upon  her  passively, 
if  not  actively.  "  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against 
me,"  was  their  necessary  motto. 

"  No,  we  none  of  us  love  Mrs.  Reginald  Archer," 
said  Mrs.  Lester  one  day  among  a  set  of  her  inti- 
mates when  Christie's  name  was  mentioned  with 
some  half -sneering  remark.  "  She  never  hurt  me 
particularly :  but  it  sickens  me  to  see  any  one  set  up 
for  such  a  saint ;  and  I  have  no  faith  in  people  who 
profess  to  be  so  much  better  than  their  neighbors. 
Then  she  is  such  a  little  fool,  I  lose  all  patience  with 
her.  I  believe  she  thinks  that  magnificent  husband 
of  hers  has  been  as  idiotically  saintly  all  his  life  as 
she  has  been,  or  as  they  say  that  rich  brother  of 
his  professes  to  be.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  she 
thought  Reginald  Archer  came  out  of  a  sort  of 
moral  monastery  to  marry  her.  I  wonder  what  she 
would  say  if  some  one  were  to  enlighten  her  a  little 
as  to  her  handsome  husband's  past  life  and  her  prede- 
cessors." 

Mrs.  Lester  cackled  as  usual ;  and  the  way  in 
which  the  rest  laughed  showed  that  she  had  ex- 
pressed the  sentiment  of  the  company. 

Her  final  sentence  rested  in  her  own  memory,  and 
was  probably  the  first  suggestion  of  her  future  ac- 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  231 

tion.  It  was  upon  this,  her  own  hint,  that  she  took 
her  first  step  in  that  course  of  interference  with  the 
life  and  affairs  of  Reginald  and  Christie  -Archer 
which  was  to  bring  dread  disaster  upon  so  many 
heads,  laying  them  in  the  dust,  and  some  of  them 
under  the  sod.  With  sin  putting  terrible  weapons 
into  her  hands,  she  wrought  such  sorrow,  that,  by 
position  rather  than  character,  she  demands  a  more 
minute  description  than  she  has  hitherto  received. 

Marian  Lester,  let  us  hope,  was  an  exceptional 
woman :  at  least,  any  society  composed  of  even  a 
large  proportion  of  such  persons  would  soon  bring 
itself  to  a  close  ;  would  end  by  self-destruction  or 
spontaneous  combustion.  A  small,  ugly,  clever 
woman,  with  a  coarse  nature,  whose  force  seemed 
divided  into  animal  passion,  a  craving  for  admiration, 
and  a  malicious  love  of  mischief,  she  spread  trouble 
and  moral  contagion  wherever  she  came.  Vain  and 
ambitious,  with  a  sharp  eye,  a  sharp  tongue,  and  a 
hard,  clear  perception  of  her  own  interest,  she  had 
begun  life  with  a  determination  to  succeed  ;  and  that 
she  had  not  done  so  was  certainly  not  owing  to  lack 
of  effort. 

To  have  filled  any  one  of  three  roles  in  life,  she 
would  have  given  what  small  soul  she  possessed ; 
but  she  soon  found  they  were  entirely  beyond  her. 
First,  she  longed  to  be  a  leader  of  society  ;  but  she 


232  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

had  neither  the  requisite  position  nor  wealth,  nor 
the  rare  executive  genius  which  takes  the  place  of 
both  :  second,  a  great  belle  ;  but  she  needed  the 
necessary  beauty :  third,  a  distinguished  literary 
woman ;  but  the  entire  lack  of  the  essential  talent 
and  imagination  put  an  end  to  any  aspirations  in 
that  direction.  She  not  only  envied  all  who  held 
these  positions,  but  had  a  dislike  and  resentment 
against  them  as  though  they  had  robbed  her  of  them. 
Looking  round  her  with  shrewd  calculation,  she  in- 
stinctively felt  where  her  strong  point  lay,  and  estab- 
lished her  line  of  policy. 

To  this  woman  and  her  class,  success  means  a  cer- 
tain number  of  men  really  or  apparently  attached  to 
their  train  ;  and  any  power  which  controls  the  largest 
proportion  is  by  them  cultivated  and  used  to  the 
uttermost.  Attractions  of  various  kinds  attract 
various  persons ;  but  a  dexterous  ability  to  rouse 
the  masculine  passions  by  glance  and  gesture  as  well 
as  by  word ;  to  put  men  entirely  at  their  ease,  and 
keep  them  constantly  surprised  and  amused  by  an 
audacious  freedom  of  speech,  whose  unexpectedness 
gives  it  the  effect  of  wit ;  to  flatter  them  by  ceaseless, 
boundless,  and  indiscriminating  devotion  and  atten- 
tion until  their  backs  are  turned,  and  then  with  fine 
mercantile  tact  to  use  them  for  the  entertainment 
and  flattery  of  the  next  male  comer,  —  this  seems  to 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  233 

strike  almost  all  heads  ;  and  there  are  few  indeed  who 
cannot  be  reduced  to  a  momentary  allegiance  by 
these  means.  It  is  amazing  how  far  a  little  wit  will 
go  when  thus  used,  and  what  a  very  large  business 
can  be  done  on  a  very  small  capital.  It  is  a  clear 
case  of  mathematics  ;  and  shrewd  women  act  accord- 
ingly. 

'*  But  you  loge  men's  respect,"  said  a  good,  refined 
lady  to  her  in  her  youth,  —  that  is,  if  Marian  Lester 
ever  had  a  youth,  and  was  not  born  with  the  spirit 
of  a  wicked  old  woman  within  her,  — "  and  you 
must  confess  that  you  gain  no  permanent  hold  upon 
them." 

"My  dear,"  returned  the  other  with  an  unspeak- 
able sneer,  "  as  far  as  my  observation  goes,  respect  is 
a  very  mild  sentiment  in  men ;  and  I  have  rarely 
seen  a  man  who  was  sufficiently  influenced  by  it  to 
make  it  worth  the  having.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  they 
chiefly  show  their  respect  for  such  women  as  you  by 
keeping  at  a  respectful  distance.  You  are  quite  wel- 
come to  the  sentiment,  I  am  sure :  I  prefer  something 
a  little  more  powerful,  and  universal  in  its  effect.  I 
agree  with  the  man  who  said,  '  Be  virtuous,  and  you 
will  be  happy;  but  you  won't  have  a  good  time.' 
Why,  look  at  it  for  yourself !  Who  are  the  women 
men  run  after  ;  upon  whom  they  spend  their  time,  their 
money,  their  admiration,  and  what  they  call  their 


234  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

love  ?  They  are  those  who  have  either  given  up  all 
pretence  of  chastity,  and  live  serenely  in  open  sin ; 
or  they  are  those  who  imitate  these  as  nearly  as  they 
can  without  losing  their  position  in  society.  No, 
my  dear :  you  have  made  a  mistake  as  far  as  this 
world  is  concerned.  I  hope  you  may  get  something 
in  the  next ;  for  you  are  not  using  the  tools  to  gain 
this  one." 

And  having  made  her  friend  exceedingly  uncom- 
fortable, and  slightly  confused  her  moral  perceptions, 
Mrs.  Lester  went  away  in  a  delightful  frame  of  mind 
to  pursue  her  accustomed  occupation. 

In  classifying  the  fascinations  a  woman  may  possess, 
it  seems  necessary  to  place  at  the  head  of  the  list, 
before  beauty  or  brilliancy,  a  genuine  love  of  men. 
We  ordinarily  do  that  well  which  we  do  con  amore  ; 
and  the  woman  to  whom  a  man  of  any  kind  is  a  boon 
and  a  blessing,  preferable  as  a  companion  to  the  most 
charming  female  alive,  is  inevitably  the  one  who  will 
be  agreeable  and  entertaining  to  the  largest  number 
of  the  opposite  sex.  No  masculine  stupidity  bores 
her ;  nothing  in  male  habiliments  comes  amiss :  she 
is  at  least  gratified  by  his  presence  until  something 
more  desirable  can  be  obtained.  Consequently,  she 
is  in  danger  of  hurting  no  man's  vanity  beyond  for- 
giveness by  being  wearied,  and  allowing  him  to  sus- 
pect it.  It  surrounds  a  man,  as  it  were,  with  circum- 


235 

ambient  flattery,  which,  like    atmospheric  pressure, 
he  feels  everywhere,  without  resisting  or  defining. 

This  was  the  chief  dower  Nature  had  bestowed 
upon  Mrs.  Lester,  —  apparently  not  a  large  fortune, 
but  one  which  she  spent  lavishly,  and  which  had  the 
singular  advantage  of  increasing  with  expenditure. 
She  had  probably  never  committed  what  is  called 
actual  sin :  first,  because  she  was  too  shrewd,  and 
valued  the  loaves  and  fishes  of  this  life  too  highly  to 
risk  their  loss  by  detection,  even  for  the  gratification 
of  her  passions ;  and,  second,  because  she  was  a  cow- 
ard at  heart,  and  still  retained  some  wholesome  fear 
of  hell-fire. 

For  Mrs.  Lester,  like  so  many  of  her  kind,  was  a 
rigid  church-woman,  and  fancied  she  bought  exemp- 
tion from  the  spirit  of  the  law  of  God  by  over-em- 
phasizing its  letter.  She  put  a  curious  degree  of 
trust  in  forms  and  ceremonies,  considering  how  little 
faith  she  had  in  any  thing  else.  She  served  the  Devil 
laboriously  for  nearly  eleven  months  of  the  year,  and 
then  imagined  that  she  restored  her  spiritual  alle- 
giance to  its  proper  balance  by  ostentatiously  serving 
the  Lord  during  the  forty  days  of  Lent.  To  speak 
in  the  language  of  the  turf,  she  made  her  book  in 
life  by  putting  most  of  her  money  upon  the  powers 
below,  and  then  hedging  in  the  opposite  direction,  so 
as  not  to  be  left  out  in  any  contingency.  She  was 


236  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

mighty  at  fairs  and  fashionable  charities  (which 
strike  one  sometimes  as  the  modern  form  of  buying 
indulgences),  regarding  them  as  a  neat  combina- 
tion of  the  advantages  of  this  world  and  the  next. 
She  held  to  the  value  of  days  and  periods ;  apparent- 
ly believing  that  the  Lord  is  more  clear-sighted  at 
one  time  than  another,  or  that  the  moral  law  is  inter- 
mittent in  its  operation. 

"  Mrs.  Lester's  idea  of  religion  seems  to  me  to  be 
the  exact  reverse  of  that  of  St.  Paul,"  said  Christie, 
after  she  had  learned  to  know  the  woman  thorough- 
ly ;  "  for  he  said, '  Of  the  times  and  seasons,  brethren, 
write  I  not  unto  you : '  and  they  seem  all  she  has  any 
regard  for." 

"  Yes,"  Reginald  had  replied,  laughing.  "  I  think 
her  idea  is  to  get  all  she  can  here  below,  and  to  en- 
joy herself  as  much  as  possible  ;  then,  in  the  nick  of 
time,  and  at  the  last  moment,  to  repent,  and  '  read 
her  title  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies.'  Nothing 
less  luxurious  would  content  her.  I  imagine  she  as- 
pires to  be  that  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  over  whom 
there  is  to  be  so  much  joy  in  heaven.  She  wishes 
to  be  an  eminent  and  interesting  person  in  both 
spheres,  and  to  drive  the  best  possible  bargain  here 
and  hereafter;  and,  if  the  thing  is  practicable,  she 
is  a  wise  woman,"  he  added  impartially. 

Then,  too,  she  was  a  woman  of  sentiment :   they 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  237 

always  are.  She  professed  a  devotion  to  the  purely 
ideal,  of  which  she  had  about  as  much  conception 
as  she  had  of  the  emotions  of  an  archangel.  She  ob- 
jected to  realistic  novels,  as  being  too  much  like  life, 
and  as  not  supplying  her  need  of  association  with 
beings  higher  and  nobler  than  those  of  this  world. 
She  adored  Bulwer  and  Byron,  without  sufficient 
humor  or  truth  herself  to  perceive  the  absurdity  and 
falsity  of  either. 

It  was  chiefly  through  her  lack  of  these  qualities 
that  she  bored  Reginald. 

"  For  a  clever  woman,  Mrs.  Lester  is  the  least  bear- 
able person  I  know,  because  she  is  essentially  second- 
rate,"  he  had  said  long  before.  "  I  could  forgive  her 
ugliness :  but  she  doesn't  know  humbug  when  she 
sees  it ;  and  that  is  fatal  in  a  person  who  must  be  en- 
tertaining, or  nothing.  She  has  wit ;  but  she  has  no 
real  humor :  she  has  plenty  of  hard  common  sense  ; 
but  it  is  all  hard,  and  all  common,"  he  wound  up, 
littering  an  epigram  which  was  repeated  against  her 
for  many  a  day,  and  for  which  she  never  forgave  him. 

He  had  hurt  her  vanity  ;  and,  though  she  accepted 
every  favor  she  could  extract  from  him,  she  would 
have  been  charmed,  at  any  moment,  to  bring  trouble 
upon  him. 

Really,  though,  Reginald  could  not  plume  himself 
upon  this  as  a  distinction,  as  she  pursued  the  same 


238.  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

policy,  and  cherished  the  same  benevolent  sentiment, 
towards  most  of  her  acquaintances.  Her  happiness 
required  the  additional  element  of  the  unhappiness 
of  some  one  else.  Physically  idle,  and  yet  active- 
minded,  she  found  an  occupation  in  perpetually  mak- 
ing others  uncomfortable  ;  which  afforded  her  the 
excitement,  without  the  fatigue,  which  hunting  and 
fishing  give  to  lovers  of  those  sports. 

She  had  found  her  natural  malice  rather  a  boon,  as 
it  added  zest  to  her  life,  and  point  to  her  wit ;  and 
now  that  she  was  growing  old,  and  losing  the  hope 
of  being  admired,  she  expected  it  to  assist  her  in 
building  up  that  defence  against  insignificance  in 
which  she  intended  to  take  refuge  in  her  old  age,  — 
the  hope  of  being  feared. 

She  was  not  wealthy,  and  so  was  compelled  to  sup- 
ply the  luxuries  she  would  not  deny  herself  by  gen- 
teel blackmail,  by  broadest  hints,  or  audacious  de- 
mands, for  what  she  wanted.  Another  system  she 
practised,  which  seems  largely  in  vogue  with  her 
class,  —  she  would  make  trivial  presents,  chiefly  her 
own  handiwork,  to  gentlemen,  and  expect  costly 
gifts  in  return,  of  whose  solid  value  in  cash  no  one 
was  a  better  judge. 

A  complaisant  husband  is  essential  to  such  a 
woman  and  such  a  career;  and  this  blessing  Mrs. 
Lester  possessed.  Not  being  able  to  make  an  orna- 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  239 

mental  marriage,  she  had  made  a  useful  one ;  and  her 
husband  was  a  slow,  quiet  man,  admirably  fitted  to 
do  her  bidding,  —  to  be  a  sort  of  watch-dog  for  her. 
In  return,  she  relieved  him  of  all  trouble  of  thinking 
on  any  subject  by  doing  it  for  him. 

Upon  the  whole,  her  theory  of  life  seemed  analo- 
gous to  that  of  the  coachman,  who  urged  as  his  great- 
est recommendation  his  ability  to  drive  nearer  than 
any  one  else  to  a  precipice  without  actually  going 
over  it. 

It  was  into  the  companionship  of  this  woman  that 
Christie's  destiny  brought  her. 

At  first,  their  intercourse  had  been  sufficiently 
pleasant ;  for  Mrs.  Lester  confined  the  conversation 
to  the  discussion  of  sentiment,  in  which  she  believed 
herself  to  shine  ;  and,  as  a  difference  in  taste  is  by  no 
means  vital,  they  simply  disagreed  amicably.  But  the 
rdle  of  decorum  soon  bored  Mrs.  Lester ;  and  her  ret- 
icence cracked  and  melted  like  thin  ice.  Then  she 
began  talking  of  subjects  which  the  younger  woman 
had  never  heard  mentioned,  and  which  she  did  not 
know  were  ever  brought  into  the  conversation  of  de- 
cent people.  Then  the  innate,  immeasurable  differ- 
ence between  them  appeared :  each  took  her  own  side, 
and  fought  under  her  own  colors.  There  could  be 
no  compromise  here  ;  £or  the  poles  are  not  more  sun- 
dered than  were  their  thoughts  and  beliefs,  their 
hopes  and  fears,  both  for  heaven  and  for  earth. 


240  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

Mrs.  Lester  was  deeply  read  in  the  history  of  cour- 
tesanship  in  every  form :  she  was  learned  in  the  lives 
of  all  the  famous  wicked  women  of  her  own  times 
and  past  ages.  She  gloated  over  such  books,  and  de- 
lighted to  give  extracts  from  their  spicy  contents ;  to 
retail  maxims  and  anecdotes  sandwiched  between  ap- 
propriate original  remarks.  It  was  to  such  conversa- 
tion Christie  listened,  at  first  with  horror  and  protest, 
and  then  with  shrinking  disgust.  Hitherto  Mrs. 
Lester  had  had  a  genuine  contempt  for  Christie,  as 
being  too  weak  and  stupid  to  use  the  advantages  of 
beauty,  wealth,  and  position,  which  fate  had  put  into 
her  hand;  to  utilize  her  opportunities  for  winning 
admiration  and  social  success.  As  soon  as  she  saw 
with  what  scorn  and  loathing  Christie  regarded  such 
triumphs  as  she  prided  herself  upon  achieving,  she 
added  hatred  to  her  previous  feeling.  Thus  Christie 
secured  an  enemy,  for  whose  handling  no  weapon  was 
too  mean  and  low,  no  scratch  too  contemptible,  and 
no  blow  too  unscrupulous. 

The  younger  woman  tried  to  keep  away  from  her 
as  muoh  as  possible  ;  but  she  was  of  too  much  use  to 
Mrs.  Lester  for  the  latter  to  think  of  giving  her  up. 
She  enjoyed  shocking,  and  making  her  uncomfortable, 
under  the  guise  of  extreme  intimacy  and  friendly 
interest.  , 

She  liked  to  come  in  earlier  than  ordinary  visitors, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  241 

and  amuse  herself  with  Christie  ;  partly  because  she 
had  nothing  to  do,  and  partly  for  the  chance  of 
manoeuvring  herself  into  a  seat  in  the  other's  carriage 
for  a  ride  down  town.  She  would  talk  until  the 
younger  woman  would  grow  sick  and  bewildered  with 
a  dreadful  wonder  as  to  whether  this  were  the  true 
picture  of  life  and  society,  and  whether  the  men  and 
women  around  her  were  all  alike,  and  Mrs.  Lester 
merely  more  frank  than  the  rest.  Her  growing  dis- 
trust of  all  things  was  never  so  strong  upon  her  as  in 
Mrs.  Lester's  presence,  whose  existence  seemed  to 
justify  any  degree  of  suspicion. 

It  was  upon  one  of  these  morning-visits  in  the  early 
winter,  that  Mrs.  Lester,  having  tried  in  the  cheeriest 
manner  several  ways  of  making  Christie  uncomforta- 
ble without  adequate  success,  suddenly  recollected  her 
own  suggestion  of  enlightening  Mrs.  Archer  as  to  her 
husband's  past,  giving  her  a  hint  of  his  real  character. 

'"I  have  piped  unto  you,  and  you  have  not  danced ; 
I  have  mourned  unto  you,  and  you  have  not  lamented : ' 
now  I  will  try  another  sort  of  treatment,"  she  sneered 
to  herself. 

They  were  sitting  in  the  drawing-room ;  and, 
glancing  around  the  apartment  for  some  point  from 
which  to  start  her  intended  remarks,  she  caught  sight 
of  a  picture  hanging  just  above  Christie's  head,  which 
gave  her  exactly  the  hint  she  wanted. 
11 


242  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

It  was  a  small  painting  of  a  woman's  face  ;  but  its 
rich,  voluptuous  beauty,  its  golden  hair  and  rosy 
tinting,  made  it  shine  from  its  shaded  recess  like  a 
living  countenance.  Her  plan  was  formed  in  a 
second,  without  reference  to  any  thing  but  the  fitness 
of  the  accidental  weapon  for  the  work  she  intended 
it  to  perform.  She  began  the  conversation,  vaguely 
trusting  her  own  dexterity  to  bring  in  the  point  she 
desired  to  make. 

Chance  favored  her. 

"  That  is  a  beautiful  face,  Mrs.  Archer,"  she  said 
by  way  of  commencment. 

"Yes,"  Christie  responded :  "it  is  very  handsome." 

"  Did  you  choose  the  picture  ?  "  was  the  next  re- 
mark. 

"  No :  it  is  Reginald's  taste.  He  saw  it  the  other 
day,  and  was  so  struck  with  it,  that  he  bought  it 
immediately." 

"  Ah,"  laughed  Mrs.  Lester,  with  a  world  of  mean- 
ing in  her  look  and  tone  which  was  almost  lost  upon 
the  inexperienced  woman  before  her,  "  very  natu- 
rally !  I  could  not  understand  why  the  face  seemed 
so  familiar  to  me ;  but  I  see  it  all  now." 

Christie  looked  at  her  inquiringly,  wondering  what 
she  was  talking  about,  and  why  she  glanced  at  her 
with  such  a  curious  leer. 

"  Of  course  you  don't  perceive  the  resemblance,  as 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  243 

you  have  been  in  this  part  of  the  world  such  a  short 
time ;  but  if  you  had  ever  lived  here,  and  watched 
the  demi-monde  driving  in  the  Park,  you  would  see 
that  this  picture  is  almost  the  portrait  of  one  of 
them,"  Mrs.  Lester  went  on  in  her  apparently  off- 
hand way,  but  glancing  covertly  at  Christie  to  see 
if  the  falsehood  she  was  concocting  were  having  the 
desired  effect. 

But  Mrs.  Archer  was  merely  gazing  at  the  picture, 
with  a  shadow  of  disgust  upon  her  face  which  was 
entirely  impersonal ;  and  the  elder  woman  saw  that 
she  must  speak  very  plainly  if  she  wished  to  accom- 
plish her  object. 

To  do  Reginald  justice,  he  was  utterly  incapable 
of  putting  any  picture  of  his  mistress  where  his  wife 
could  possibly  become  conscious  of  its  existence. 
He  had  absolutely  no  moral  nature  and  no  heart ;  but 
the  mere  blood  in  his  veins  would  have  saved  him 
from  such  an  act  of  coarse  insult,  as  it  would  have 
preserved  him  from  personal  cowardice  and  petty 
larceny.  Besides  this,  he  was  perfectly  clear-headed, 
and  so  had  none  of  that  strange,  blind  vanity  which 
enables  a  man  to  feel  complimented  by  the  devotion 
of  a  woman  to  whom  complaisance  is  a  profession, 
and  whose  support  requires  her  to  smile  upon  some 
other  man  if  not  upon  him:  he  could  not  feel  flat- 
tered by  favors  which  had  been  granted  to  some  one 


244  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

before  him  in  consideration  of  hard  cash.  No  :  Mrs. 
Lester's  falsehood  was  a  libel  even  against  such  a 
man.  At  least  he  possessed  brain  and  breeding ;  and 
the  accusation  was  an  insult  to  both. 

"I  don't  know  what  has  become  of  this  woman; 
for  I  have  not  seen  her  for  a  year  or  two.  I  heard 
she  went  to  another  city  to  live.  Mr.  Archer  can 
probably  tell  you  more  about  her  and  her  picture, 
though  other  people  have  forgotten  her  by  this  time  ; 
but,  when  she  was  your  husband's  mistress,  every- 
body knew  her  by  sight,"  she  wound  up  airily,  as 
though  saying  the  most  natural  thing  possible,  and 
one  from  which  her  preceding  words  and  looks  had 
taken  away  all  abruptness. 

Gazing  quietly  at  the  picture,  with  her  profile 
within  Mrs.  Lester's  range  of  vision,  Christie  heard 
that  final  sentence.  Still  looking  upward,  without 
sound  or  motion,  she  remained  during  the  full  mo- 
ment of  silence  which  followed  the  speech.  If  a 
pistol-shot  had  gone  through  her  heart,  she  could 
have  had  no  more  frightful  pang,  no  greater  sense  of 
sudden  death.  With  that  wonderful  self-control 
which  comes  to  women  in  dire  need,  she  did  what  so 
many  women  before  her  have  done,  —  spiritually  died, 
and  gave  no  sign. 

Not  an  eyBlash  quivered  to  show  Mrs.  Lester  how 
her  bolt  had  sped ;  and  that  lady,  after  waiting  a 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  245 

minute,  found  herself  obliged  to  resume  the  burden 
of  the  conversation. 

"  Of  course,  my  dear,"  she  said  with  her  custom- 
ary cackle,  "it  is  not  telling  tales  out  of  school  to 
mention  such  a  thing  to  you ;  for  you  must  have 
known  something  of  your  husband's  life  before  you 
married  him.  It  is  impossible  to  have  heard  Regi- 
nald Archer's  name  without  some  little  history 
attached  to  it ;  and  of  course  you  are  too  sensible 
to  mind  such  bachelor  escapades,"  she  continued 
genially.  "Men  will  be  men,  you  know;  and  the  only 
objection  I  find  to  it  is,  that,  by  the  same  rule,  they 
don't  allow  women  to  be  women.  I  can't  see  the 
justice  of  confining  the  privilege  of  sowing  wild  oats 
to  the  masculine  gender;  and  Mr.  Archer  is  one  of 
the  few  men  who  have  sense  and  fairness  enough  to 
agree  with  me.  And  then  your  husband  has  always 
been  such  a  handsome  sinner,  that  nobody  could  con- 
demn him,"  she  went  on,  tiding  herself  over  the 
inconvenient  silence  by  a  flow  of  words,  and  literally 
talking  for  two. 

"  Mrs.  Lester,"  said  Christie,  after  the  stillness  had 
been  unbroken  for  several  seconds,  "I  cannot  possibly 
discuss  my  husband  and  his  affairs  with  you  or  any 
one  else." 

The  voice  was  low,  though  perfectly  steady ;  but 
there  was  a  curiously-deadened  sound  through  it,  to 


24C  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

which  Mrs.  Lester  listened  with  curiosity  and  satis- 
faction. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  child,"  she  replied,  thinking 
of  the  tone,  and  answering  the  words ;  "  quite  right ! 
You  are  a  model  wife  and  a  modern  Griselda,  I 
may  say,  —  just  the  person  for  Reginald  Archer  to 
marry,  taking  all  things  into  consideration,"  she 
sneered  with  the  most  cordial  manner. 

Christie  made  no  answer.  She  was  looking  down 
now,  with  her  face  still  somewhat  averted  from  the 
speaker,  who  could  not  exactly  determine  the  damage 
she  had  do'ne. 

"  Perhaps  •she  is  not  such  a  fool  after  all,  and 
doesn't  care  more  than  the  rest  of  us  would  under 
the  same  circumstances.  She  certainly  does  not 
seem  very  much  startled  or  overcome,  and  probably 
it  is  no  great  news  to  her  after  all ;  but  she  must 
have  been  annoyed  at  my  speaking  to  her  of  it,  be- 
cause her  voice  sounded  queerly,"  the  kindly  creature 
thought  within  herself. 

"  Are  you  going  down  town  this  morning  ?  "  she 
asked  affectionately,  finding  she  could  get  nothing 
further  out  of  the  subject. 

"  No,"  was  the  monosyllable  which  exhausted 
Christie's  powers  of  speech. 

"•  I  am  sorry ;  for  I  thought  we  might  go  together, 
as  I  have  some  shopping  to  do :  but,  if  you  are  not 
going,  I  shall  have  to  bid  you  good-morning." 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  2-17 

Christie  turned  round  and  bowed  her  adieux  ;  and 
Mrs.  Lester  took  herself  out  of  the  room  and  out  of 
the  house  with  a  strong  sense  of  injustice  upon  her, 
in  that  Christie  had  afforded  her  neither  the  certainty 
of  having  cut  her  to  the  heart,  nor  a  good  story  to 
tell  around  town,  nor  even  the  foundation  for  a  neat 
dramatic  fiction ;  and  she  walked  down  the  street 
with  a  discontented  sense  of  having  fallen  below  her 
customary  standard. 

Left  alone,  Christie  quietly  reseated  herself  upon 
the  sofa  ;  and  there,  silent  and  still,  with  no  outward 
sign  but  the  closely-locked  hands,  she  fought  out  the 
great  battle  of  her  life ;  with  what  shedding  of 
heart's  blood,  women  like  her,  and  their  God,  alone 
know. 

-Let  a  man  put  himself  in  her  place  ;  let  him 
imagine  the  truth  suddenly  coming  upon  him,  that 
the  being  he  had  loved  and  held  pure  and  honorable, 
the  person  whose  existence  was  irrevocably  inter- 
locked with  his  own,  was  foul  and  tainted,  the 
rightful  property  of  those  who  had  gone  before  him  ; 
let  him  dream  of  himself  as  absolutely  upright ;  and 
then  let  him  faintly  conceive  the  loathing,'  the  scorn, 
the  horror  and  anguish,  which  were  tearing  this 
woman's  heart,  which  were  vibrating  through  every 
atom  of  her  flesh  and  blood. 

Differing  in  all  else,  Christie  and  Reginald  Archer 


248  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

had  one  thing  in  common,  —  their  necessity  to  look 
at  facts  for  themselves.  The  clear  intellects  of  each 
entirely  refused  to  accept  two  standards  of  right  and 
wrong,  or  to  hold  that  there  can  be  any  sex  in  sin. 
Infinitely  different  as  were  the  laws  in  which  they 
believed  and  on  which  they  acted,  they  both  possessed 
the  fairness  and  justice  to  lay  the  level  alike  to  all. 
The  absolute  scrupulousness  of  one,  and  unscrupu- 
lousness  of  the  other,  had  brought  them  to  the  same 
clear  perception,  unclouded  by  earthly  creed  or  cus- 
tom. Christie  measured  her  husband  and  his  act  by 
the  same  immutable  law  of  God  which  would  have 
been  applied  to  her  had  she  been  the  criminal ; 
which  she  would  have  used  had  their  positions  been 
reversed,  —  she  being  the  man,  and  he  the  woman. 
No  drop  of  bitterness,  which,  in  like  circumstances, 
would  have  filled  a  man's  cup  to  overflowing,  was 
lacking  in  hers.  The  fear  of  being  the  laughing- 
stock of  a  community,  which  seems  to  be  the  most 
powerful  emotion  in  most  masculine  minds  in  similar 
cases,  was,  in  some  degree,  spared  her ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  what  good  man  even  can  measure  the 
agony  of  a  delicate  woman's  shrinking  from  unchas- 
tity  and  impurity  ?  Her  whole  body  was  one  hot 
blush  of  shame.  She  felt  scorched  by  the  breath  of 
sin,  humiliated  and  contaminated  by  her  involuntary 
contact  with  it.  She  had  a  sensation  of  self-loathing 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  249 

and  self-contempt,  as  though  name  and  fame  and 
person  had  been  soiled  by  disgrace,  —  as  most  men 
would  have  felt  under  like  circumstances,  although 
they  had  long  lost  the  right  of  so  feeling. 

It  never  occurred  to  her  to  doubt  Mrs.  Lester's 
words,  which  were  accurate  enough  as  to  the  main 
fact  they  announced,  though  not  as  to  the  supposi- 
titious likeness  they  pointed  out :  their  truth  came 
upon  her  with  utter  conviction.  It  seemed  the  sud- 
denly-discovered key  to  all  that  had  been  so  strange 
and  bewildering  since  her  marriage  ;  the  clew  to  the 
dreadful  difference  between  the  ideal  Reginald  she 
had  loved  and  the  real  Reginald  she  had  married. 
The  foundation  of  her  faith  had  crumbled  away  to 
its  last  support ;  and,  when  that  was  touched,  the 
whole  edifice  fell  in  an  instant. 

Her  feeling  towards  her  husband  was  one  unuttera- 
ble, boundless  sense  of  revolt  and  repulsion.  What 
could  a  love  and  caresses  be  to  her  which  had  been 
previously  offered  to  a  professional  woman  not  suffi- 
ciently above  an  animal  to  believe  even  in  any  obli- 
gation of  chastity  ?  It  was  not  only  such  dreadful 
sin,  but  such  low  sin ;  and  the  woman  shivered  from 
head  to  foot  with  disgust. 

A  man,  with  all  this  maddening  him,  would  have 
broken  the  restraints  which  bound  him,  —  would 

have  committed  some  wild  act, — and  the  world  would 
11* 


250  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

have  pitied  and  justified  him.  What  the  braver,  truer 
woman  did  was  to  stand  in  her  lot,  fighting  the  mad 
passion  at  her  heart  as  though  for  her  soul's  salva- 
tion. Above  the  wild  tumult  in  her  nature,  the 
fundamental  conviction  of  her  life  began  to  assert  it- 
self, —  that,  in  all  this  conflict  of  wrongs,  somewhere 
her  duty  lay  clear  and  fixed;  and  that  it  greatly 
behooved  her  to  find  it  and  to  do  it.  Long  hours 
had  gone  by  before  the  blood  in  her  veins  had  stilled 
sufficiently  to  allow  her  to  think,  —  to  permit  her  to 
be  capable  of  any  thing  beyond  unspeakable  sensa- 
tion. 'The  morning  had  passed  into  evening;  and 
still  she  sat  hidden  in  that  shadowy  recess,  with  her 
soul  in  deadly  combat  with  the  fate  that  had  come 
upon  it.  Gradually  conscience  and  intellect  regained 
their  constitutional  sovereignty  within  her,  and  spoke 
out  in  tones  to  which  she  was  compelled  to  listen :  — 
"  Duty  is  like  death  :  it  comes  to  you,  and  to  you 
alone.  Its  claim  is  absolute  and  indestructible,  let 
others  do  as  they  will.  Their  failure  "can  give  you 
no  release ;  for  your  allegiance  is  not  to  them,  but  to 
yourself  and  to  your  God.  You  have  taken  upon 
yourself  a  vow  to  love,  honor,  and  obey  this  man ; 
and  your  struggle  must  now  be  to  keep  it  to  the 
utmost  possibility.  You  cannot  afford  to  look  back, 
with  the  present  claiming  you  for  its  own.  Your  one 
great  duty  in  life  is  to  be  a  good  wife  ;  and  you  can- 
not go  behind  that." 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  251 

All !  it  was  bitter,  bitter  hard  for  that  woman  to 
sit  there,  and  feel  the  truth  evolved  from  the  depths 
of  her  nature ;  to  hear  it  slowly  enunciated  as  by 
some  terrible  relentless  power  apart  from  herself. 
But  when  the  night  came,  and  the  darkness  fell  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth,  which  was  no  blacker  than  that 
which  had  been  upon  her  soul  at  noonday,  a  light 
had  come  unto  her  steps,  and  a  lamp  unto  her  feet, 
which  could  never  lead  astray ;  for  it  was  the  light 
of  heaven. 

She  had  heard  herself  inquired  for  from  time  to 
time,  but  without  responding,  or,  indeed,  thinking  of 
the  flight  of  the  hours :  but  the  servants  lighting  up 
the  house  recalled  her  to  the  fact  that  the  dinner- 
hour  was  at  hand,  and  that  she  must  make  ready  to 
meet  the  man  towards  whom  her  whole  emotional 
nature  had  changed  ;  that  she  must  prepare  to  take 
the  first  step  in  the  life  of  duty  she  had  laid  out  for 
herself. 

She  rose,  and  stood  for  a  moment  before  going  out 
of  the  room,  with  a  sensation  of  having  returned  to 
earthly  existence.  Years  seemed  to  have  passed  over 
her  head ;  a  great  gulf  divided  her  from  her  old, 
loving,  believing  self;  and  she  knew  that  an  utterly 
different  woman  would  pass  out  of  that  apartment 
from  the  one  who  had  entered  it  that  morning ;  and 
night  and  morning  are  not  more  unlike  than  the 


v 
252  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

heart  she  had  brought  hither  and  the  heart  she  would 
take  away. 

"  God  help  me  !  God  help  me  !  "  was  the  passion- 
ate cry  of  that  nature,  which  could  turn  nowhere  else 
for  comfort. 

This  was  a  sorrow  and  a  suffering  of  which  she 
could  speak  to  no  living  being.  She  must  fight  this 
battle  alone,  without  human  aid  ;  and  she  knew  it, 
and  applied  her  brave,  steadfast  nature  to  the  con- 
flict. . 

She  went  up  stairs  and  dressed  for  dinner,  and, 
descending,  entered  the  dining-room  as  quietly  as 
though  all  life  had  not  changed  for  her  since  she  left 
it.  She  found  Reginald  awaiting  her,  there  being  no 
company  that  day.  He  was  standing  very  much  as 
she  had  first  seen  him,  —  with  the  chandelier  illumin- 
ing his  splendid  beauty ;  with  the  light  shining  on  that 
white  brow,  upon  which  heaven  and  earth  seemed  to 
smile  ;  -with  the  blue  eyes  and  the  glittering  teeth 
rivalling  each  other  in  their  brilliancy. 

But  the  glamour  of  his  loveliness  for  the  first  time 
had  no  power  over  her :  she  had  caught  sight  of  his 
real  character,  and  it  seemed  to  look  out  at  her  now 
as  from  behind  an  exquisite  mask.  She  gave  herself 
no  time  to  hesitate :  she  came  forward,  and  said 
"  Good-evening  "in  as  nearly  her  ordinary,  pleasant 
tones  as  she  could  compel  her  voice  to  sound. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  253 

"  Good-evening,"  Reginald  returned,  glancing  at 
her  carelessly.  But  the  next  moment  he  looked 
again  with  more  attention,  caught  by  something  in 
her  manner  and  appearance  which  he  could  not 
quite  define. 

"  She  looks  stronger,  and  more  of  a  woman,  than 
ever  before,"  he  thought,  "  and,  by  the  way,  hand- 
somer too." 

This  last  consideration  occasioned  his  next  move- 
ment. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Christie  ?  "  he  asked.  "  You 
don't  look  quite  like  yourself  this  evening.  You 
can't  be  sick,  though,  with  that  color  in  your  cheeks, 
and  light  in  your  eyes."  And,  as  he  spoke,  he  put 
his  arm  around  her,  and,  stooping  idty,  kissed  her. 

If  she  had  been  turned  into  stone,  she  could  not 
have  been  more  absolutely  motionless  than  she  was 
while  his  touch  was  upon  her.  No  muscle  recoiled, 
no  fibre  stirred,  not  even  the  eyelashes  trembled ; 
but,  if  ever  that  woman  prayed,  she  prayed  then. 
Standing  silent,  with  every  nerve  held  rigid,  if  she 
had  cast  herself  upon  her  knees,  and  cried  aloud 
to  Heaven  for  help,  no  more  agonized,  passionate 
entreaty  for  strength  to  keep  the  spirit  as  well  as  the 
letter  of  her  vow  could  have  gone  up  to  the  throne 
of  God. 

Some  answer  must  have  been  vouchsafed ;  for  when, 


254  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

a  moment  after,  Reginald  moved  away,  she  passed  to 
her  place  ;  and,  when  he  began  talking  upon  ordinary 
subjects,  she  replied  gently,  even  smilingly,  though 
at  no  very  great  length. 

"  Something  has  certainly  happened  to  change 
Christie,"  Reginald  thought  more  than  once  as  he 
noticed  a  fixed  look  around  her  mouth  and  an  unnat- 
ural brilliancy  in  her  dark  eyes.  "  I  wonder  what 
it  is." 

But  being  by  no  means  vitally  interested  in  her. 
emotions,  and  well  aware  that  his  wife  might  have 
many  causes  for  inward  discomfort  which  it  would 
be  wiser  for  him  to  ignore  as  long  as  possible,  he  took 
no  outward  notice,  but  ate  his  dinner,  and  chatted 
pleasantly,  with  great  personal  satisfaction. 

When  the  meal  was  concluded,  he  announced  that 
he  had  an  engagement  down  town,  and  calmly  left 
his  wife  to  seek  companionship  in  her  own  thoughts, 
or  consolation  from  any  one  who  might  chance  to 
come  in. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

DURING  the  weeks  and  months  which  followed 
that  day,  Christie  walked  her  appointed  course  ; 
lived  the  life  which  seemed  so  brilliant,  and  was  so  in- 
expressibly lonely.  Through  all  its  trials  and  tempta- 
tions, she  struggled  to  hold  that  inner  consciousness 
of  right-doing  which  to  her  was  life,  and  more  than 
life.  To  be  an  honest,  loving  wife,  to  stand  clear 
before  her  own  conscience,  was  the  one  passionate 
desire  of  her  whole  being.  Had  Reginald  Archer 
possessed  a  heart  and  a  conscience,  however  warped, 
their  existence  might  still  have  been  peaceful  and 
happy.  Her  love  would  have  struggled  back  into  a 
semblance  of  its  early  self  had  he  fostered  and  fed 
it ;  had  he  given  her  the  great  joy  of  being  able  to 
respect  him  at  any  time  and  in  any  way.  A  true 
love  dies  hard ;  and,  when  duty  and  devotion  go 
together,  they  maintain  their  vitality  even  when  it 
seems  crushed  out  of  them.  That  blessedness  which 
arises  from  perfect  forgiveness,  from  taking  the  spirit 
of  Christ  into  the  very  heart,  would  have  come  to 

255 


256  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

Christie,  had  Reginald  had  the  soul  of  a  man ; 
had  he  been  any  thing  but  a  beautiful,  intellectual 
animal. 

But  he  was  perfectty  satisfied  with  his  marital 
relations.  He  saw  his  wife's  awakening  to  his  real 
character,  and,  perceiving  her  struggle  with  herself, 
regretted  it. 

"  I  owe  her  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  accommodating 
herself  so  quietly  to  circumstances ;  but  it  is  a  great 
pity  the  poor  child  gives  herself  so  much  unneces- 
sary trouble.  She  had  much  better  amuse  herself 
with  some  one  else,"  he  thought,  in  his  heartless 
good  humor  and  impartial  fairness.  "  If  I  supposed 
she  would  understand  me,  I  would  give  her  a  hint  to 
that  effect ;  but  she  is  such  a  little  goose,  I  shall  have 
to  let  her  make  her  own  discoveries,  and  be  happy,  or 
unhappy,  after  her  own  fashion.  So  long  as  she  does 
not  interfere  with  me,  or  annoy  me  with  public  scan- 
dals, I  don't  care  what  she  does,"  he  wound  up  with 
perfect  sincerity. 

Thus  Christie  was  left  to  fight  her  hard  battle 
alone,  with  only  her  God  to  whom  to  cry  for  help. 
This  was  her  one  refuge ;  and  she  sought  it  ceaseless- 
ly. Through  brilliant  scenes  and  varied  gayeties, 
through  witty,  sometimes  shameless  companionship, 
and  through  solitary  hours,  her  life  was  one  long 
passionate  prayer. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  257 

I  sometimes  wonder  that  women  ever  cease  pray- 
ing. To  me  there  is  no  truer  touch  of  genius  in 
that  inimitable  story  of  "  The  Newcomes "  than 
where  the  author  speaks  of  Laura  Penclennis  as 
"  engaged  where  pious  women  ever  betake  them- 
selves in  moments  of  doubt,  of  grief,  of  pain,  of  sepa- 
ration, of  joy  even,  or  whatsoever  other  trial.  They 
have  but  to  will,  and,  as  it  were,  an  invisible  temple 
rises  around  them :  their  hearts  can  kneel  down 
there,  and  they  can  have  an  audience  with  the  great, 
the  merciful,  the  untiring  Counsellor  and  Consoler." 

But  for  this  relief,  Christie  would  have  died  as  these 
days  went  on ;  for  she  began  to  feel  that  what  Regi- 
nald's life  had  been  in  the  past  it  was  in  the  present. 
Without  fixed  data  to  go  upon,  without  testimony 
which  she  could  offer  to  reason,  much  less  to  law, 
she  believed  that  the  veil  of  decorum  covered  the 
same  hideous  facts  now  as  before.  The  last  remnant 
of  her  love  died  then  and  there.  She  ceased  her  ter- 
rible effort  to  keep  breath  in  its  body :  she  buried  the 
corpse,  and  hushed  down  her  bitter  wail  over  its 
grave.  She  made  no  pretence  of  an  affection  she 
could  never  feel  again  :  she  scorned  to  act  a  lie,  as 
she  would  have  scorned  to  speak  one.  She  had 
neither  the  power-  nor  visible  right  to  leave  her 
husband ;  but,  in  her  own  eyes,  she  was  utterly  di- 
vorced from  the  man  who  stood  in  that  legal  relation 


258  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

to  her,  and  yet  whom  she  suspected  of  daily  breaking 
the  tie  which  bound  them. 

She  did  nothing,  said  nothing ;  for  she  was  too 
clear-sighted  not  to  perceive  her  own  helplessness. 
She  fulfilled  each  day's  duties  as  they  arose :  she  was 
the  courteous  wife  of  a  courteous  husband ;  the  ele- 
gant mistress  of  an  elegant  home  ;  the  gay,  agreeable 
acquaintance  of  many  gay,  agreeable  persons.  But 
there  was  growing  within  her  a  wild  desire  for  es- 
cape from  an  intolerable  position.  An  inexpressible 
longing  to  die  seized  hold  upon  her.  An  utter  sense 
of  being  inadequate  to  life,  as  it  had  come  to  her, 
crushed  her  soul  and  body.  So  lonely  and  so  unlike 
all  around  her,  equally  unable  to  change  her  nature 
and  standard  of  right  or  to  alter  theirs,  she  felt  that 
all  that  was  left  to  her  was  to  go  away  forever  and 
be  at  rest. 

This  craving  for  death,  and  the  peace  she  hoped  it 
would  bring,  was  so  intense,  that  it  spoke  out  in  her 
face.  That  longing  look  was  in  her  eyes  whenever 
she  was  unconscious  of  observation  ;  whenever  it  was 
not  dismissed  by  an  effort  of  will.  Mrs.  Lester  sel- 
dom saw  it,  as  Christie  was  always  on  her  guard  in 
her  presence ;  but  others  perceived  it,  and  put  their 
own  widely-differing  interpretations  upon  it. 

Shallow,  good-natured  Mrs.  Conrad,  finding  Mrs. 
Archer  alone  one  day,  with  an  inexpressible  weari- 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  259 

ness  of  life  upon  her  face,  took  up  the  burden  of 
prophecy  on  this  wise  :  — 

"  Mrs.  Archer,  you  are  evidently  growing  moped, 
and  are  running  down." 

She  spoke  kindly ;  and  Christie  smiled  as  she 
replied  that  she  did  not  feel  very  well,  and  conse- 
quently was  not  very  bright  and  gay. 

"  You  need  amusement  and  excitement  more  than 
medicine,"  the  elder  lady  went  on. 

"  I  can  scarcely  want  excitement  in  the  constant 
round  of  gayeties  in  which  we  both  live,"  was  the 
reply. 

Her  needs  were  too  deep  to  be  discussed  with  any 
one,  —  least  of  all  with  the  woman  before  her. 

Mrs.  Conrad  sat  looking  at  her  for  a  moment  or 
two,  with  a  curious  expression  growing  in  her  face. 
It  was  like  the  faint  shadow  of  some  long-gone  pain, 
now  only  to  be  recalled  by  an  effort  of  memory  or 
some  strong  outside  influence. 

"  My  dear,"  she  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  it's  no  use  : 
you  can't  do  what  you  are  trying  to  do.  Little  as 
you  would  think  it,  I  made  the  attempt  once  myself ; 
and  I  can  tell  you  that  it  won't  answer." 

Christie  looked  at  her  in  astonishment.  Accus- 
tomed as  she  was  to  the  lady's  inconsequent  style  of 
expression  and  apparent  obtuseness  of  perception,  she 
could  not  take  in  her  meaning,  nor  believe  that  she 


200  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

was  recklessly  entering  the  innermost  recesses  of  her 
life  and  nature. 

"  It's  no  use  trying  to  be  absolutely  devoted  to 
your  husband,"  she  went  on  eagerly  and  disjointedly ; 
"  because  no  man  is  worth  it,  and  no  man  gives  you 
the  same  thing  in  return.  Strange  as  it  sounds  now, 
I  married  for  love ;  and  for  six  months  I  did  not  re- 
member that  another  man  existed  besides  my  husband. 
But  dear  me !  child,  I  soon  found  I  was  having  my 
trouble  for  my  pains ;  that  I  was  simply  making  a  fool 
of  myself  for  nothing.  I  saw  he  was  amusing  himself 
with  other  women ;  and  so  all  that  was  left  for  me  was 
to  amuse  myself  with  other  men.  It  was  not  a  very 
pleasant  experience  at  first ; "  and,  as  the  woman  spoke, 
the  shadow  on  her  face  deepened,  and  the  trivial  care- 
lessness, and  hard,  worldly  lines,  faded  out  for  the 
second :  "  but  I  soon  got  over  that ;  and  now  nobody 
has  a  better  time  than  I  have,"  she  resumed,  with 
almost  her  accustomed  laugh. 

"  Mrs.  Conrad,"  said  Christie,  standing  before  her 
with  her  eyes  beginning  to  glow  and  her  voice  to 
vibrate,  "  as  what  you  call  a  good  time  would  have 
to  be  purchased  with  all  I  hold  sacred,  I  cannot  afford 
to  pay  the  price  nor  enjoy  the  profit." 

This  was  neither  a  saint  nor  an  angel :  it  was  only 
a  miserable,  sore-hearted,  tortured  woman,  striving 
desperately,  above  pain  and  temptation,  to  hold  to 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  261 

that  which  was  right.  f  She  was  not  merely  resisting 
and  answering  the  woman  before  her :  she  was  fighting 
her  own  nature,  which  made  the  same  subtle  sugges- 
tions to  her,  like  the  whisperings  of  an  evil  spirit. 

"  In  fairness  and  justice,"  it  said,  "  why  should  you 
feel  called  upon  to  give  your  husband  more  than  he 
gives  you  ?  His  failure  in  any  part  of  the  contract  re- 
leases you  from  your  corresponding  obligation  ;  and  it 
is  silly  and  senseless  in  you  not  to  use  your  just  right." 

The  temptation  was  upon  her  daily,  fanning  the 
flame  of  anger,  pride,  and  revenge,  —  of  all  the  stormy 
lower  passions.  With  her  increased  knowledge  of 
life  had  come  a  sickening  clear-sightedness  as  to  per- 
sons around  her ;  and  she  saw  with  shrinking  dis- 
gust that  there  were  numbers  of  men  about  her  whom 
it  needed  but  a  change  of  expression  in  her  eyes,  but 
the  faintest  answering  look  of  comprehension  or  invi- 
tation, to  bring  to  her  side  in  a  base  homage  whose 
degree  and  result  would  be  for  her  decision.  She  saw 
women  every  day  doing  this  thing  with  apparently 
untroubled  spirits  and  consciences ;  certainly  with 
uninjured  positions.  She  knew  exactly  what  Mrs. 
Conrad's  advice  meant ;  and,  in  replying  to  her,  she 
wag  replying  to  herself,  to  the  world  without,  and  the 
flesh  and  the  devil  within. 

"  My  dear  child,  don't  get  excited,"  Mrs.  Conrad 
answered  good-humoredly.  "  I  meant  no  harm.  I 


262  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

only  intended  to  give  you  a^  little  good  advice  from 
my  own  experience.  It  is  no  use  striving  to  be  unlike 
other  people  :  if  you  live  in  this  world,  you  must  be 
like  it,  unless  you  want  to  be  miserable.  Devotion, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  is  very  well  for  a  little 
while  :  and  even  now  I  think  it  would  be  better  worth 
marrying  for  than  any  thing  else,  if  it  would  only 
last ;  but  it  never  does,  and  that  makes  the  utter  folly 
of  love-matches.  Men  are  all  alike :  they  break  what- 
ever heart  a  woman  has.  I  hadn't  much,"  she  con- 
tinued with  a  careless  laugh :  "  so  I  got  off  easily.  But 
I  am  afraid  you  are  taking  it  rather  hard.  I  don't  set 
up  for  a  wit,  as  Marian  Lester  does :  but  I  have  learnt 
one  thing  in  life  ;  and  that  is,  that,  to  be  happy,  you 
must  like  a  great  many  persons  a  little,  and  not  care 
too  much  for  any  one  except  yourself.  Since  I  have 
acquired  that  secret,  I  have  been  a  contented  woman," 
she  announced  with  perfect  sincerity,  and  without 
the  least  idea  of  sarcasm. 

"  Did  you  find  the  lesson  very  difficult  to  learn, 
Mrs.  Conrad  ?  "  Christie  almost  involuntarily  in- 
quired with  smothered  bitterness. 

"  Not  very,"  the  other  replied  cheerfully  ;  "  but  I 
am  fortunately  constituted  in  being  able  to  make  the 
best  of  every  thing.  You  see,  when  I  found  that  love 
was  nothing  but  a  young  dream,  I  had  still  my  house 
and  carriage  and  all  the  solid  results  of  my  marriage 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  263 

• 

to  fall  back  upon,  besides  the  amusements  of  society. 
That  is  the  great  advantage  of  a  rich  match,  —  you 
have  something  of  permanent  existence  and  value 
after  the  illusions  fade  away.  My  daughter  shall 
marry  money,  even  if  she  imagines  she  is  going  to 
break  her  heart  for  some  poor  man  ;  because  I  know, 
that,  ten  years  after,  she  will  be  ready  to  thank  me 
on  her  knees  for  what  I  have  done.  And  I  give  you 
the  advice  now  that  I  shall  give  her  then,  —  amuse 
yourself,  and  make  the  best  of  life  as  you  find  it." 

"  Mrs.  Conrad,"  Christie  returned  slowly,  "  your 
ideas  of  making  the  best  of  life  and  mine  differ  so 
entirely,  that  we  can  never  agree  on  the  subject." 

"Very  well,  my  dear,"  she  responded,  with  un- 
ruffled, careless  good  nature,  her  temporary  interest 
in  the  matter  dying  out:  "just  as  you  please.  I 
didn't  mean  to  offend  you  or  hurt  you ;  for  I  really 
like  you ;  which  is  more  than  many  of  your  professed 
friends  do,"  she  went  on  with  heedless  truth. 
"  There's  Marian  Lester,  who  is  always  talking  against 
you  behind  your  back ;  though,  to  be  sure,  she  does 
that  to  everybody,"  she  added,  partly  to  exalt  herself 
by  contrast,  and  partly  upon  her  general  principle  of 
hitting  her  dear  friend  whenever  she  could. 

"  By  the  way,  I  ought  to  be  at  home  now,"  she 
exclaimed  as  she  looked  at  her  watch,  "  as  I  expect 
company  to  dinner.  Good-by ! "  And  the  volatile 


264  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

f 

lady  went  off,  and,  ten  minutes  after,  had  forgotten 
that  the  conversation  had  ever  taken  place. 

Christie  sat  and  wondered  whether  this  woman  and 
those  around  her  could  be  right  in  their  estimate  of 
life  and  humanity.  They  had  certainly  worked  out 
the  problem  further  than  she  had  done :  they  seemed 
to  have  the  force  of  logic  and  fact  on  their  side ;  and, 
differing  in  disposition,  they  all  agreed  as  to  the  result 
£>f  their  experience.  To  their  weight  of  argument 
she  could  only  silently  oppose  her  passionate  inward 
conviction  that  love  and  truth  are  the  only  great  last- 
ing blessings  here  as  hereafter ;  that  'faith  and  honor 
must  exist  in  other  hearts  besides  her  own ;  that,  let 
come  what  would  in  this  world  or  the  next,  purity, 
devotion,  self-abnegation,  and  forgiveness  are  un- 
speakably, infinitely  better  than  all  the  satisfactions, 
pleasures,  and  animal  gratifications  this  earth  can 
offer ;  and  that  they,  and  they  alone,  are  to  be  pur- 
sued as  the  true  life  of  both  soul  and  body. 

When  this  belief,  born  in  every  fibre  of  the  woman's 
original  being,  was  crushed  out,  her  moral  nature 
would  die  a  natural  death,  and  she  would  become,  like 
her  husband,  a  well-bred  animal,  gratifying  her  in- 
stincts with  as  little  sense  of  sin  as  now  troubled 
him.  Utterly  alone  in  spirit,  with  the  paths  of  evil 
made  straight  before  her,  it  was  simply  a  question 
between  her  own  soul  and  herself.  She  could  listen 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  265 

to  the  "  still  small  voice  "  within  her,  leading  her  over 
a  weary,  desolate  road  ;  or,  following  the  example  and 
teachings  of  those  around  her,  she  could  drift  with 
the  current  over  shining  seas  and  through  flowery 
banks.  No  hand  was  put  out  to  help  her ;  no  love  in 
her  heart,  or  in  another's  for  her,  made  right-doing 
the  glory  and  happiness  of  existence.  The  hard, 
bare  choice,  uninfluenced  by  love  or  fear,  was  laid 
before  her,  and  she  made  it :  but  it  was  not  strange 
that  with  that  choice  came  an  unutterable  longing  to 
pass  away  and  be  at  peace ;  to  share  the  rest  prepared 
for  the  people  of  God. 

Maria,  also,  had  surprised  this  look  in  Christie's 
countenance,  and  had  been  perplexed  and  saddened 
by  it. 

"  You  must  grow  very  lonely  in  this  great  house 
sometimes,  when  you  are  by  yourself,  Christie,"  she 
could  not  forbear  saying. 

"  Yes,  sometimes,"  was  the  indefinite  reply ;  "  but 
it  is  generally  so  full  of  company,  that  I  am  seldom 
alone  for  any  length  of  time." 

"  Christie,"  exclaimed  Maria  abruptly,  "  it  will  be 
a  great  blessing  to  you  when  you  have  children  to 
occupy  your  heart  and  mind." 

"  Do  you  think  so?"  was  the  quiet  response  ;  but 
a  subtile  something  in  the  tone  and  manner  made 

Maria  pause,  and  then  change  the  subject. 
12 


266  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

Christie  could  not  tell  the  other  woman,  that,  if  she 
thanked  God  for  nothing  else,  she  thanked  him  from 
the  bottom  of  her  heart  that  it  was  not  probable  that 
she  would  bring  any  child  into  the  world  to  sin  as  its 
father  had  sinned,  or  to  suffer  as  she  had  suffered. 

It  was  only  those  who  caught  glimpses  of  her  inner 
life  who  were  dimly  aware  of  her  real  feeling.  To 
the  world  she  became  every  day  more  brilliant  and 
agreeable,  and  consequently  more  admired.  She  was 
gaining  a  keen,  arrowy  wit,  and  a  power  of  expression, 
which  the  aggressive  members  of  her  set  soon  learned 

oo 

to  respect  and  avoid.  She  tried  hard  to  carry  Chris- 
tianity into  word  as  well  as  deed ;  to  forgive  both 
speech  and  act:  but  she  found  that  self-preservation 
is  the  first  law  of  nature ;  that  she  was  forced  to 
defend  herself,  and  to  teach  others  to  forego  the 
amusement  of  tormenting  her. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  exclaimed  Reginald  in  delight- 
ed surprise,  "  my  wife  is  growing  to  be  the  wittiest 
woman  I  know !  While  she  and  Tom  are  alive,  I  can 
never  lack  amusement."  And  he  had  a  genuine  sen- 
timent of  gratitude  to  Providence,  or  whatever  power 
had  thus  provided  for  his  entertainment. 

He  liked  nothing  better  than  to  have  a  chat  with 
her  over  the  breakfast-table ;  and  ceased,  in  conse- 
quence, to  take  that  meal  in  his  dressing-room.  He 
would  discuss  the  persons  they  had  met  the  night 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  267 

before,  and  listen  to  her  shrewd  comments  and  fine 
perceptions  of  character  with  the  same  interest  that  a 
good  play  or  a  well-written  novel  afforded  him. 

"  You  gave  Mrs.  Lester  a  Roland  for  her  Oliver  last 
night,"  he  laughed  one  morning. 

Christie  flushed  slightly,  with  a  pained  look  in  her 
face. 

"  I  could  not  help  Jt,"  she  answered.  "  She  forced 
me  to  teach  her  that  she  must  let  me  live  in  peace." 

"  I  think  you  drew  sufficient  blood  to  prevent  her 
from  trying  such  a  passage  of  arms  with  you  again," 
he  replied  gayly. 

"  Mrs.  Lester's  mistake  in  life  is,  that  she  does  not 
understand  human  nature  well  enough  to  play  the 
game  she  attempts,"  Christie  said  slowly. 

"  That  is  the  silliest  of  all  blunders !  "  exclaimed 
Reginald. 

"  She  always  reminds  me,"  she  answered,  "  of  a 
story  papa  used  to  tell,  because  she  does  not  know 
just  what  its  hero  found  out.  A  friend  of  papa's 
kicked  a  man  down  stairs  for  cheating  at  cards,  and, 
five  years  after,  happened  to  see  the  same  man  per- 
forming the  same  operation  upon  another  person. 
'  Why,  how  is  this,  my  friend?  where  did  you  get 
courage  to  kick  anybody  after  letting  me  de  it'  to 
you?' — 'Ah!  my  dear  sir,'  the  man  answered  with 
the  most  charming  smile,  '  you  and  I  know  whom  to 


268  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

kick.'  Mrs.  Lester  is  just  the  reverse  of  this :  she 
doesn't  know  whom  to  kick.  She  tries  it  upon 
everybody  ;  but  sometimes  she  finds  herself  mistaken 
as  to  the  proper  individual." 

"  Precisely ! "  returned  Reginald  with  peals  of 
soft  laughter.  "  That  story  contains  the  whole  prac- 
tical philosophy  of  life." 

And  he  soon  after  went  off  to  his  club  to  repeat  it 
again  and  again. 

Thus  day  by  day  Christie  was  compelled  to  fight, 
forced  to  use  weapons  she  hated.  She  seemed  to 
herself  slipping  away  from  all  her  old  ideals,  her  old 
aspirations ;  and  the  wit  and  keenness  which  others 
admired  were  a  shame  and  a  sorrow  to  the  woman 
who  possessed  them,  and  who  used  them  in  self- 
defence.  If  a  lamb  were  thrown  among  wolves,  and 
lived  long  enough  among  them  without  being  de- 
voured, it  would  certainly  develop  teeth  and  talons, 
and  exercise  them  after  the  wolf  fashion,  from  abso- 
lute necessity.  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation ;  but 
deliver  us  from  evil."  Ah  !  the  Divine  Wisdom  and 
Love  well  knew  how  needful  was  that  petition  to 
each  frail  mortal  who  walks  this  sinful,  sorrowful 
earth. 

The.  woman  who  prayed  it  then,  prayed  also  for 
deliverance  from  life  and  its  intolerable  burden. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

~T  LOYD  TRUXTON'S  wooing  had  sped  famous- 
-L-^  ly ;  and  he  and  Ellen  had  been  for  some  time 
past  engaged  to  be  married. 

As  yet,  Torn  knew  nothing  of  the  matter.  Lloyd 
had  not  courage  to  approach  him  on  the  subject, 
feeling  instinctively  that  he  would  meet  with  oppo- 
sition, and  wishing,  above  all  things,  to  conciliate  his 
future  brother-in-law,  upon  whom  he  hoped  to  lean 
for  support.  He  soon  felt  that  Ellen  would  be  a 
much  more  successful  advocate  than  himself ;  and  to 
her  he  confided  the  difficult  task  of  gaining  Tom's 
consent. 

For  such  a  silly  little  creature  she  accomplished  it 
adroitly,  working  upon  her  brother's  nature  with  in- 
stinctive dexterity. 

She  waited  for  him  one  night  when  he  came  in 
rather  late.  Noticing  a  light  in  the  drawing-room 
after  the  usual  hour,  he  looked  in  to  see  who  was 
there,  supposing  it  might  be  Arnold  sitting  up  for 
him. 

269 


270  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"You  here,  Ellen  ?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Why,  how  is 
this,  little  woman  ?  You  will  lose  your  roses  if  you 
sit  up  so  late." 

"  I  waited  to  see  you,  Tom.  I  wanted  to  say 
something  to  you." 

He  had  spoketi  carelessly,  though  kindly ;  but,  as 
the  girl  answered,  he  glanced  at  her  face,  and  saw 
that  she  was  -in  earnest,  and  that  what  was  coming 
was  important,  —  at  least  to  her. 

"  What  is  it,  my  dear  ?  "  he  asked  pleasantly  as  he 
sat  down  before  her. 

Still  the  girl  hesitated,  with  a  flush  upon  her  face  ; 
and  Tom  saw  that  it  must  be  something  even  more 
serious  than  he  had  imagined. 

"  Ellen,  you  are  not  afraid  of  me.  Whatever  you 
have  to  say,  say  it,  my  dear." 

"  Tom,"  she  broke  out  suddenly,  "  I  am  engaged  to 
Lloyd  Truxton,  and  I  want  you  to  let  me  marry  him." 

Tom  started  visibly.  He  opened  his  lips  as 
though  to  make  some  energetic  exclamation ;  then 
slowly  closed  them,  and,  sitting  back  in  his  chair, 
looked  at  her  with  a  weary,  pained  sadness  in  his 
eyes,  which  would  have  deeply  touched  a  deeper- 
natured  woman.  The  girl  before  him  had  neither 
heart  nor  brain  to  comprehend  his  feeling ;  but  she 
had  the  instinctive  good  sense  to  say  nothing,  and  to 
let  him  speak  first. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  271 

"  Ellen,"  he  said  slowly,  "  I  must  tell  you  that 
Lloyd  Truxton  is  the  last  person  to  whom  I  would 
wish  to  see  you  married ;  and  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that 
I  ought  to  give  my  consent.  He  is  a  bad  man,  and  has 
led  a  bad  life ;  and  I  do  not  see  how  any  good  woman 
could  be  happy  with  him.  If  I  could  tell  you  the 
whole  truth,  you  would  shrink  away  in  disgust  from 
him,  instead  of  wishing  to  be  bound  to  him  forever." 

"  He  is  good  enough  to  be  Reginald's  intimate 
friend.  I  have  never  heard  him  say  any  thing 
against  Lloyd,"  she  answered,  with  a  sullen  resent- 
ment of  his  words. 

Again  Tom  hesitated  painfully.  To  lower  his 
brother  in  his  sister's  eyes,  to  exhibit  him  to  her,  even 
partially,  in  his  real  light,  was  what  he  could  scarcely 
bring  himself  to  do. 

"  Unfortunately,  Ellen,"  he  said  very  gravely, 
"  Reginald  has  no  friend  whom  I  would  choose  as  a 
husband  for  you ;  none,  indeed,  whom  I  would  select 
as  an  acquaintance  for  myself.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  his  standard  is  not  that  which  any  pure  man 
or  woman  could  hold." 

"  He  can't  be  so  very  bad,  when  he  is  received  and 
welcomed  by  the  best  society,  by  the  finest  ladies  in 
the  city,"  Ellen  replied,  planting  herself  upon  the 
solid  ground  of  hard  fact. 

"  I  know  it,"  exclaimed  Tom  bitterly :  "  so  much 


272  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

the  worse  for  them  !  But  if  you  either  square  your 
conscience  or  choose  your  husband  by  the  rules  of 
what  is  called  '  good  society,'  I  am  sorry  for  you." 

"  Tom,"  she  suddenly  cried  out,  abandoning  all 
other  ground,  and  using  her  one  unanswerable  argu- 
ment, "  I  love  him  !  " 

A  singular  change  came  over  the  man's  face  as  he 
heard  the  words.  With  however  little  comprehen- 
sion of  their  deep  meaning  the  girl  was  speaking 
them,  to  him  they  meant  all  that  was  real  and  last- 
ing in  the  universe.  She  had  struck  his  vulnerable 
point  both  by  nature  and  circumstances.  He  uncon- 
sciously measured  the  depth  of  her  feeling  by  his  own, 
and  imagined  her  suffering  would  be  what  his  had 
been  in  the  loss  of  the  being  he  loved.  Poor  Tom  !  — 
he  had  not  the  heart  to  inflict  this  torture  upon  any 
one,  —  least  of  all  upon  his  weak  little  sister. 

"  My  dear,"  he  said  very  tenderly,  "  if  that  really 
be  the  case,  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,  except  to 
warn  you  as  to  Lloyd's  true  character,  and  leave  you 
to  come  to  your  own  decision.  But,  for  God's  sake  ! 
don't  deceive  yourself  on  either  point,  and  make 
yourself  wretched  for  life." 

"  I  have  considered  the  matter  well,"  Ellen  an- 
swered ;  "  I  have  thought  of  nothing  else  since  last 
summer;  and  I  have  determined  to  marry  Lloyd 
Truxton." 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  273 

"  Then,"  said  Tom  wearily,  "there  is  nothing  left 
for  me  to  say  or  do.  Your  being  my  sister  affords 
me  no  control  over  you  ;  but  it  gives  me  a  deep  in- 
terest in  your  welfare,  and  a  love  for  you  which  can 
never  change,  Ellen,  as  you  know  without  my  saying 
it." 

"  I  know  it,  Tom,"  she  replied  softly,  and,  going 
up  to  him,  kissed  him. 

They  were  not  a  demonstratively  affectionate  fam- 
ily ;  and  the  somewhat  unaccustomed  action  touched 
Tom's  sore,  hungry  heart.  He  took  the  little  crea- 
ture in  his  arms  very  lovingly. 

"If  he  makes  you  happy,  I  will  try  to  forgive  him 
his  past  life  ;  but  I  can't  see  my  little  sister  misera- 
ble, either  without  him  or  with  him,"  he  said  as  he 
returned  her  kiss. 

"  But,  my  child,"  he  exclaimed  a  few  moments 
after,  "  how  does  Lloyd  expect  to  take  care  of  you  ? 
I  have  never  heard  of  his  being  in  any  business. 
Has  he  any  thing  to  support  you  on  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Tom!  "  she  replied,  clinging  more  closely  to 
him,  "  we  thought  you  would  take  care  of  that." 

A  curious  chill  struck  through  the  man ;  and  his 
warm,  affectionate  clasp  loosened  suddenly  into  a 
formal  embrace. 

"  Ah  !  that's  it,  is  it  ?  "  he  thought  bitterly.     "  It 

is   money,   after  all,   that  this   unusual   tenderness 
12* 


274  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

\ 

means.  That  is  why  she  asks  my  consent,  instead 
of  coolly  acting  without  it.  I  am  expected  to  be- 
stow a  yearly  income  upon  the  young  people  with  my 
blessing.  Well,"  he  continued  to  himself,  with  a 
sinking  sense  of  disappointment  in  every  thing  human 
and  material,  "  my  money  might  as  well  go  in  that 
way  as  in  any  other.  It  has  certainly  given  me  very 
little  happiness ;  and,  if  it  can  bring  it  to  others, 
why  should  I  withhold  it  ?  " 

"  Ellen,"  he  said  quietly  after  a  pause,  during 
which  the  girl  had  waited  eagerly  for  the  effect  of 
her  words,  "it  is  not  my  duty  to  support  an  idle 
man,  nor  do  I  think  it  best  for  Lloyd  that  I  should 
do  so  ;  but,  if  he  is  willing  to  work,  I  will  see  that 
he  is  very  well  paid.  You  are  my  sister,  and  have 
an  inalienable,  natural  claim  upon  me  ;  and,  if  you 
determine  to  marry  him,  I  will  do  what  I  can  for  you 
and  your  husband.  You  can  tell  Lloyd  what  I  say, 
and  let  him  act  as  he  chooses." 

"  Thank  you,  dear  Tom  !  "  replied  Ellen,  radiant 
at  having  secured  this  much  thus  easily,  and  trusting 
herself  and  time  to  make  it  much  more :  "  you  are 
always  as  kind  as  you  can  be." 

"  Good-night,  my  dear!  "  was  his  only  answer;  and 
then  he  went  out  of  the  room  and  up  stairs  to  bed. 

He  did  not  give  her  a  farewell  kiss,  nor  allow  her 
a  chance  of  thus  bidding  him  adieu.  He  could  not 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  275 

accept  tokens  of  affection,  for  which  he,  at  least  par- 
tially, paid  in  dollars  and  cents.  He  was  capable  of 
any  Quixotic  generosity ;  he  would  have  given  her 
all  he  possessed  uncalculatingly,  almost  unthinking- 
ly, had  she  really  needed  it :  but  this  cool  balancing 
of  emotion  and  gold,  this  deliberate  mixing  of 
love  and  money,  sickened  him  to  the  heart.  If  they 
wanted  his  cash,  let  them  take  it ;  but  he  preferred 
not  accepting  the  offered  payment  in  return. 

"  I  am  a  sort  of  walking  porte-monnaie  or  check- 
book ;  I  believe  that  is  all  I  am  to  anybody,"  he 
thought,  with  a  disgust  equally  divided  between  him- 
self and  those  who  had  systematically  traded  upon 
his  family  feeling. 

Thus  thinking,  he  passed  Arnold's  chamber.  The 
door  was  ajar  ;  and  he  remembered  that  such  was 
always  the  case  when  he  came  in  late.  He  entered 
the  apartment,  led  on  by  his  hunger  and  thirst  for 
even  the  sight  of  something  upon  whose  disinterested 
truth  and  love  he  could  absolutely  depend.  Arnold 
was  lying  upon  a  lounge,  fast  asleep  ;  and  his  brother 
went  up  to  the  couch,  and  stood  looking  down  upon 
him.  Long,  ugly,  and  ungainly,  in  any  thing  but  a 
graceful  attitude,  he  was  more  lovely  in  Tom's  eyes 
than  the  most  radiant  physical  beauty  could  have 
made  him.  He  had  the  strongest  impulse  to  stoop 
and  kiss  him,  as  he  might  have  done  to  a  woman : 


276  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

as  it  was,  he  drew  the  hair  back  from  the  temples 
with  the  softest  loving  touch. 

"  He  really  loves  me :  he  would  be  the  same  if  I 
had  nothing  to  give  him."  And  he  seemed  to  rest  his 
world-weary  heart  and  tired  eyes  by  even  looking  at 
him. 

"  Wake  up,  my  dear  boy ! "  he  said  presently : 
"  you'll  take  cold  if  you  lie  here." 

Arnold  shook  himself,  and  rose ;  a  pleasant  light 
coming  into  his  dull  eyes  as  he  saw  who  was  arous- 
ing him. 

"  Waiting  for  me  as  usual,  Arnold  ?  "  Tom  asked, 
with  a  laugh  that  had  a  curious  thrill  through  it. 

"  I  did  not  keep  very  good  watch,"  returned  the 
other  ;  "  but  I  fell  asleep  while  I  was  reading." 

"  Why  do  you  always  sit  up  for  me,  3-011  foolish 
feUow  ? "  said  Tom,  with  the  same  vibration  in  his 
tone. 

"  Oh !  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  other,  half 
laughing,  and  coloring  slightly ;  "  but  I  have  a  feel- 
ing that  I  can  rest  better  when  I  know  that  you  are 
safely  and  peacefully  asleep." 

Tom  laid  his  hand  on  his  brother's  shoulder,  and 
the  two  men  looked  at  each  other  with  inexpressible 
tenderness.  Then,  with  inherent  Anglo-Saxon  reti- 
cence, Tom  turned  quietly  away,  without  a  word  to 
give  voice  to  his  feeling. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  277 

"  You  can  go  to  your  bed  now,"  he  said  after  a 
moment,  "  with  nothing  on  your  mind ;  for  I  am 
going  to  mine.  Good-night !  "  he  added,  and  went 
off. 

It  was  the  farewell  word  he  had  spoken  to  his  sis- 
ter but  a  few  moments  before  ;  but  what  a  different 
meaning  it  now  bore  !  The  tone  was  a  caress  and  a 
blessing ;  and  it  came  from  a  heart  whose  bitterness 
and  chill  had  vanished  before  the  warmth  and  light 
of  love. 

Tom's  consent  to  his  marriage,  and  promise  of 
assistance,  being  announced  to  Lloyd,  he  felt  that  he 
had  a  provision  for  life.  Thus  re-enforced,  he  went 
to  Reginald,  and  told  him  his  plans  and  intentions. 
That  gentleman  was  rather  surprised,  but  acquiesced 
calmly  in  the  arrangements,  as  he  did  in  every  thing 
which  did  not  personally  incommode  him. 

"  So  Ellen  worked  Tom  up  into  saying  yes,  and  in 
agreeing  to  help  to  support  you  both?  She's  a 
sharper  little  thing  than  I  gave  her  credit  for  being," 
Reginald  said  when  Lloyd  told  him  all  the  circum- 
stances. "  You  are  certainly  not  a  very  great  match 
for  her  ;  but,  after  all,  it  is  better  than  having  a 
stranger  coming  into  the  family  and  making  things 
disagreeable.  So  the  marriage  suits  me  well  enough  ; 
and  I  promise  you  I  will  do  as  much  for  you  and 
Ellen  as  Tom  does,"  he  wound  up,  magnificently  dis- 


278  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

posing  of  Christie's  money  as  he  had  done  with  that 
of  some  one  all  his  life. 

And  again  Lloyd  Truxton  thanked  his  lucky  star 
which  had  led  him  to  ally  himself  with  the  Archers. 

Reginald  announced  the  news  to  Christie  that  day 
at  dinner.  She  did  not  seem  as  much  astonished  as 
he  expected. 

"  I  imagined  something  of  the  kind  was  going  on 
last  summer ;  but,  as  nothing  seemed  to  come  of  it, 
I  hoped  I  was  mistaken,"  she  said  slowly,  with  a 
troubled  look  in  her  face. 

"  Why  did  you  hope  you  were  mistaken  ?  What 
is  your  objection  to  the  match  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh  !  I  don't  know,"  she  answered  evasively,  "ex- 
cept that  I  don't  think  he  is  the  sort  of  man  to  make 
a  woman  happy." 

Reginald  knew  perfectly  what  she  meant ;  but,  not 
caring  to  discuss  the  subject,  it  dropped. 

The  next  morning,  Christie  went  to  Ellen's  home, 
apparently  to  congratulate  her  upon  her  engagement, 
but  really  with  a  different  purpose. 

"  I  cannot  let  her  take  such  a  step  in  utter  blind- 
ness, as  I  did,"  she  was  thinking  as  she  walked 
towards  the  house.  "  She  will  neither  understand 
nor  believe  me,  I  suppose :  but  I  cannot  have  it  upon 
my  conscience  not  to  give  her  some  idea  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  man  she  wants  to  marry;  some  reminder 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  279 

of  the  truth,  and  its  inevitable  consequences.  It  can- 
not be  that  she  knows  what  she  is  doing ;  and,  in  the 
barest  justice,  some  one  ought  to  tell  her  before  it  is 
too  late." 

Entering  the  house,  she  found  Ellen  and  Maria 
together.  She  went  through  some  of  the  forms  and* 
phrases  customary  on  such  occasions ;  all  of  which 
Ellen  received  with  a  cool  serenity  wonderful  to 
behold.  Maria  was  much  the  more  agitated  of  the 
two ;  for  she  was  capable  of  hopes  and  fears  which 
could  not  be  satisfied  by  the  certainty  of  a  future 
material  support  and  a  matrimonial  position.  She 
had  a  brain  to  think,  and  a  heart  to  feel ;  and  both 
took  a  wider  range  than  could  have  been  filled  by 
money  and  gratified  vanity.  Lloyd  Truxton  was  no 
favorite  of  hers,  though  she  had  only  heard  vaguely 
of  his  course  of  life.  She  had  very  little  pleasure 
in  this  marriage ;  though,  like  Tom,  she  thought  it 
useless  to  oppose  that  which  Ellen  was  determined 
upon.  But  she  was  so  generous  in  her  love  for  her 
sister,  that  she  showed  her  interest,  and  not  her 
anxiety ;  and  talked  cheerfully  of  an  engagement 
upon  which,  in  her  own  heart,  she  sat  in  sorrowful 
judgment. 

Thus  they  talked  of  Ellen's  plans,  until  Christie 
began  to  fear  that  she  would  have  no  opportunity  of 
carrying  out  her  real  purpose.  She  was  about  to 


280  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

relinquish  her  intention,  and  take  her  leave,  when 
Maria  was  called  out  of  the  room  ;  and  her  chance 
for  speaking  unexpectedly  came  to  her. 

"  Ellen,"  she  said  hurriedly,  "  when  I  heard  last 
night  of  your  engagement,  I  prayed  God  you  might 
be  happy  ;  but  I  thought  some  one  ought  to  tell  you 
the  character  of  the  person  you  have  promised  to 
marry,  as  you  must  be  ignorant  of  it.  I  can't  see 
you,  unwarned,  link  yourself  to  a  man  who  has  led 
an  impure  life,  and  who  has  no  idea  of  honor  as 
regards  women.  You  may  hate  me  for  telling  you 
the  truth  ;  but  I  can't  stand  by  and  see  you  uncon- 
sciously make  yourself  wretched." 

In  her  passionate  earnestness,  Christie  had  risen 
to  her  feet,  and  was  standing  before  Ellen,  with  her 
voice  and  her  lips  quivering,  and  the  tears  springing 
into  her  eyes. 

The  girl  looked  up  coolly  at  her. 

"  Lloyd  is  Reginald's  constant  companion,  and  I 
suppose  is  no  worse  than  he  is ;  yet  you  found  my 
brother  good  enough,  not  only  to  engage  yourself  to, 
but  to  marry,"  she  returned  quietly. 

The  color  rushed  into  Christie's  face ;  and  she 
turned  away  quickly,  almost  as  though  Ellen  had 
struck  her.  She  could  not  give  the  answer  which 
sprung  to  her  lips  :  — 

"  If  I  had  known  even  the  shadow  of  the  truth, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  281 

I  would  have  bitten  out  my  tongue  before  it  should 
have  said  yes ;  and  I  judged  you  by  myself." 

She  shut  her  teeth  to  prevent  the  words  from 
escaping  in  spite  of  her  will. 

"  Lloyd  is  just  about  what  men  ordinarily  are," 
Ellen  went  on  calmly ;  "  and  most  married  women 
seem  to  get  on  very  well." 

Christie  looked  silently  at  her  in  weary  hopeless- 
ness, and  with  a  contempt  which  wavered  strangely 
between  herself  and  the  girl  before  her. 

"  It  would  be  as  well  to  talk  to  a  blind  man  of  color, 
or  to  a  deaf  man  of  sound,  as  to  appeal  to  purity, 
honor,  delicacy,  and  truth,  in  a  person  devoid  of  moral 
sense  and  fine  instinct.  I  am  an  idiot  for  my  pains," 
she  thought  hotly. 

And  then  came  the  old  subtle  doubt,  whether, 
after  all,  Ellen  were  not  the  wiser  woman  of  the 
two,  in  taking  the  best  of  life  that  she  could  get 
without  troubling  herself  with  any  higher  considera- 
tions than  daily  pleasure  and  daily  food.  She  and 
Reginald  were  certainly  the  most  contented  persons 
Christie  knew ;  and  they  were  surely  those  who 
lived  most  entirely  without  a  care  or  a  thought  be- 
yond animal  comfort  and  gratification.  The  moral 
of  the  story  might  be  instructive ;  but  it  did  not  tend 
to  strengthen  aspiration.  Her  striving  towards  a 
great  invisible  standard  and  a  more  elevated  life  had 


282  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

only  brought  her  sorrow  and  anguish  of  spirit ;  and 
it  was  scarcely  strange,  that,  at  the  moment,  she 
hardly  knew  which  to  despise,  the  girl  or  herself. 

Maria's  re-entrance  cut  short  the  conversation ;  and, 
soon  after,  Christie  went  back  to  her  splendid  home, 
more  heart-sick  and  weary  of  life  than  ever. 

Lloyd  Truxton  determined  to  secure  his  promised 
pecuniary  advantages  as  soon  as  possible,  and  so 
pressed  for  an  immediate  marriage.  As  Ellen  was 
easily  persuaded,  he  gained  his  object ;  and  the  prep- 
arations went  speedily  forward.  Every  one  lent  a 
helping  hand ;  even  Christie  and  Tom  facilitating 
that  which  they  could  not  prevent.  Tom  offered  his 
sister  a  very  handsome  wedding,  or  the  money  it 
would  cost  invested  for  her  benefit ;  and,  with  unex- 
pected good  sense,  she  chose  the  latter. 

Consequently,  the  end  of  the  month  of  her  engage- 
ment saw  her  quietly  married ;  saw  her  made  Mrs. 
Lloyd  Truxton,  greatly  to  her  own  satisfaction,  if  to 
that  of  no  one  else. 

One  fact,  at -least,  concerning  this  wedding,  must 
not  pass  unnoticed ;  for,  in  Ellen's  eyes,  it  was  a  most 
important  item :  the  diamond  cross  which  Tom  pre- 
sented her  was  even  larger  and  handsomer  than  the 
one  he  had  given  Christie. 

Could  mortal  bliss  demand  more  ! 


CHAPTER    XX. 

""TTTAS  the  ball  brilliant  last  night?"  asked 
V  V  Reginald  carelessly,  as  he  and  Christie  sat 
at  the  breakfast-table  one  morning  several  weeks 
after  Ellen's  marriage. 

He  had  accompanied  his  wife  and  sister  to  the 
entertainment,  but  had  soon  excused  himself  and 
gone  off  in  another  direction,  leaving  them  both 
under  Lloyd's  care. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  —  "  about  what  such  things 
usually  are.  But  you  missed  the  chief  sensation  of 
the  evening  }  for  the  new  beauty,  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale, 
came  in  after  you  left." 

"  Ah,  indeed !  "  exclaimed  Reginald,  awakening 
into  sudden  interest.  "  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  see  her ; 
for  they  have  been  talking  about  her  at  the  club  for 
a  week.  All  the  men  are  raving  about  her  singular 
red-gold  hair  and  her  black  eyes.  Is  she  still  so 
very  handsome  ?  " 

"  Remarkable  looking,  and  extremely,  strikingly 
pretty.  She  would  be  beautiful,  if  she  had  either 
sense  or  soul  in  her  face,"  Christie  replied. 

283 


284  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  That  is  just  as  I  remember  her,"  answered  Regi- 
nald. 

"  Why,  I  did  not  know  you  had  ever  seen  her." 

"  Oh,  yes !  I  was  introduced  to  her  when  she  was 
here  five  years  ago  on  her  bridal  trip ;  but  she  was 
too  nearly  an  unformed  girl  in  those  days  to  show 
her  beauty  to  advantage.  I  hear  her  social  education, 
and  knowledge  of  how  to  use  her  charms,  have  pro- 
gressed amazingly  since  then,"  he  added  with  a  laugh. 

"  She  said  she  had  come  to  the  city  to  live  perma- 
nently; and  she  seemed  very  glad  of  it." 

"  I  can  imagine  so,"  he  exclaimed.  "  '  No  pent-up 
Utica '  for  her  any  longer." 

"  Shall  I  call  on  her  ?  "  asked  Christie  indifferent- 
ly. "  Every  one  is  doing  so." 

Reginald  paused  for  a  moment  before  answering ; 
and  a  curious  expression  came  into  his  eyes. 

"  Just  as  you  please,"  he  said  quietly ;  "  but,  unless 
you  wish  to  go,  I  think  I  would  stay  away.  She  is 
not  at  all  your  style ;  and  I  am  sure,  that,  the  more 
you  knew  her,  the  less  you  would  like  her." 

The  moment  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale's  residence  in  the 
city  was  announced,  Reginald  had  foreseen  possibili- 
ties of  connection  between  himself  and  her  (as  in- 
deed he  did  with  every  beautiful  or  distinguished 
woman  with  whom  he  seemed  likely  to  be  thrown) , 
which  would  render  it  best  that  she  should  be  cut 


REGINALD   ARCHER. 

off  from  intercourse  with  his  wife  :  so  he  prudently 
provided  against  contingencies,  as  it  were  on  specu- 
lation, and  discouraged  the  acquaintanceship,  as  gen- 
erally undesirable. 

"  Leave  her  to  such  women  as  Mrs.  Lester  and 
Mrs.  Conrad ;  they  will  suit  her  much  better,"  he 
added. 

"  She  seemed  to  have  left  herself  to  them  last 
night,"  said  Christie,  smiling.  "  They  appeared  to 
have  fallen  into  a  sort  of  spiritual  triangular  em- 
brace, from  what  I  saw." 

"  I  understand  exactly,"  laughed  Reginald:  "they 
will  agree  capitally  for  a  little  while, — until  she  hap- 
pens to  offend  one  of  them,  or  stand  in  her  way. 
Then  let  her  look  out ;  for  they  will  make  her  wish 
she  had  never  seen  them.  I  have  watched  that  game 
too  often  not  to  know  it  by  this  time ;  and  I  advise 
you  to  keep  out  of  the  whole  affair." 

Talking  in  his  grand,  debonair  manner,  and  grace- 
fully patronizing  the  whole  social  system,  Reginald 
Archer  little  realized  what  truth  there  was  in  his 
own  words :  far  less  did  he  dream  how  terribly  it 
would  behoove  him  to  follow  his  own  advice. 

"I  am  sure  I  have  no  desire  to  know  her  more 
intimately,  and  should  be  quite  satisfied  if  I  were 
never  to  hear  her  name  again,"  Christie  answered 
indifferently. 


286  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

She  would  repeat  those  final  careless  words  again 
and  again  in  her  heart  with  a  strangely-altered  feel- 
ing ;  for  the  days,  even  the  years,  were  rapidly  ap- 
proaching, when  a  wild  desire  never  again  to  have 
Lucretia  Van  Arsdale  brought  back  to  her  conscious- 
ness would  be  the  great,  agonized  longing  of  her 
life. 

"  Very  well,  then ;  don't  put  her  down  on  your  vis- 
iting-list," Reginald  said  as  he  left  the  room ;  and 
the  matter  was  settled. 

Years  ago,  I  stood  looking  at  a  picture  by  Leonardo 
da  Vinci,  with  an  admiration  which  was  mingled  with 
a  curious  sense  of  astonishment.  The  subject  was 
Herodias'  daughter.  The  hideous,  swarthy  execu- 
tioner stood  there,  offering  to  Salome  the  charger 
upon  which  lay  the  pale,  bleeding  head  of  the  proph- 
et. Over  the  girl's  shoulder  peers  the  handsome, 
old,  revengeful  face  of  Herodias,  with  its  smile  of 
cruel  and  complete  satisfaction.  Passionate  triumph 
over  her  fallen  enemy,  the  fire  of  wounded  pride, 
all  the  emotions  of  the  strong,  wicked  nature,  are  in 
the  strong,  wicked  face.  But  it  is  Salome  herself 
who  rouses  surprise,  and  rivets  attention,  by  the 
strange  contrast  •  between  her  trivial  slightness  and 
the  intensity  and  strength  of  the  others.  Not  as  she 
is  usually  painted — an  imperious,  hot-blooded,  superb 
woman,  -sharing  her  mother's  nature,  and  executing 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  287 

* 

her  will  because  it  is  also  her  own  —  had  the  great 
master  represented  her,  but  as  a  delicately,  felinely 
beautiful  creature,  with  a  shadow  of  cold,  hard 
cruelty  in  the  almost  meagre  lines  of  face  and  figure. 
A  slight  young  girl,  radiant  with  the  sheen  of  red- 
gold  tresses,  the  dark  gleam  of  drooping,  almond- 
shaped  eyes,  and  the  color  of  scarlet  lips  drawn  some- 
what closely  over  glittering  teeth,  but,  withal,  a 
senseless,  soulless  being,  who  shocks  you,  even  in 
that  scene,  like  a  monstrosity ;  a  court-dancer,  Avill- 
ingly  doing  her  mother's  bidding,  through  sheer 
indifference  to  any  thing  beyond  her  own  comfort 
and  pleasure  ;  destroying  a  great  prophet  as  gayly  as 
she  would  have  killed  a  fly,  from  lack  of  sufficient 
brain  to  comprehend  the  difference  between  them, 
from  want  of  sufficient  heart  to  consider  others  for  a 
single  moment,  —  this,  and  nothing  more. 

She  stands  extending  her  lovely  arms  to  receive 
the  charger  with  its  ghastly  burden  ;  her  only  recog- 
nition of  its  horror  being,  that  she  slightly  turns  away 
her  head  to  save  herself  the  physical  annoyance  of 
gazing  at  any  thing  disagreeable.  The  shine  in  her 
eyes  and  the  smile  upon  her  lips  are  those  she  has 
brought  from  dancing  before  the  king ;  and  the  in- 
toxication of  gratified  vanity  is  so  strongly  upon  her, 
that  she  seems  swaying,  almost  swooning,  with  sen- 
suous delight.  The  plaudits  of  king  and  court  are 


288  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

still  ringing  in  her  ears ;  and  the  death-moans  of  her 
victim  do  not  even  suggest  themselves  to  her  remotest 
consciousness.  The  shallow,  pleasure-adoring  nature 
has  only  room  for  self-love  and  physical  gratification  : 
the  necessary  space  for  remorse,  or  suffering  for  sin, 
is  not  in  it.  The  old  painter  had  studied,  not  merely 
the  deep  mysteries  of  his  art,  but  those  of  humanity ; 
he  had  reached  the  subtlest  truths  of  each;  and  I 
learned  afresh  from  his  wondrous  hand  that  the  most 
dangerous  of  created  beings  are  those  soulless  sinners 
who  will  not  know  what  they  do,  and  who  are  too 
absolutely  fitted  to  their  lives  and  occupations  ever 
to  turn  from  them,  or  to  feel  degradation  in  dreadful 
act  or  lowest  life.  Passion  fades  out,  hate  relents, 
revenge  sometimes  sheathes  its  weapon  ;  all  the  mad, 
evil  impulses  of  the  human  heart  die  a  natural  death 
in  course  of  time,  or  waver  before  obstacles :  but 
what  can  ever  change  vanity,  ignorance,  and  utter 
levity  ?  and  before  what  will  they  stop  or  stay  their 
course  ?  Let  come  what  will ;  let  the  prophet  of  the 
Lord  perish ;  let  truth  and  right  be  trampled  in  the 
streets ;  let  blood  flow,  and  sin  and  shame  follow,  — 
Salome  will  be  glad  and  gay  so  long  as  she  can  dance 
and  be  applauded ;  so  long  as  she  can  read  admira- 
tion in  the  eyes  of  a  goodly  Jew  or  gallant  Roman. 

My  first  sight  of  Lucretia  Van  Arsdale  gave  me 
so  strong  a  sensation  of  having  seen  her  before,  that 


.   REGINALD   ARCHER.  289 

I  could  scarcely  believe  such  was  not  the  case.  Yet 
we  had  never  met ;  and  for  a  long  time  I  searched 
in  vain  for  a  reason  for  the  strange  familiarity  of  her 
aspect.  Suddenly  the  recollection  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci's  picture  flashed  upon  me,  and  made  all  clear. 
The  faces  and  figures  were  almost  identical ;  and  I 
lived  to  know  that  the  characters  were  no  less  so. 

This  was  the  woman  who  was  now  to  cross  Regi- 
nald Archer's  path ;  who  was  to  bring  sorrow  and 
destruction  alike  to  the  innocent  and  the  guilty. 

She  had  been  born  in  one  of  the  smaller  Western 
cities  ;  and  there  her  husband  had  married  her,  —  a 
beautiful  but  unformed  girl.  There,  too,  she  had  lived 
until  she  had  matured  into  her  present  appearance 
and  style. 

Mr.  Van  Arsdale  had  adored  his  wife  ;  still  admired 
her  extravagantly ;  and,  indeed,  loved  her  as  much 
as  it  was  possible  to  love  such  a  trivial  being  after 
long  association.  He  was  a  quiet,  gray-eyed  man, 
who  toiled  at  his  legal  profession  for  money,  which 
his  wife  had  the  pleasure  of  spending.  Morally,  he 
was  no  better  and  no  worse  than  the  majority  of  men, 
and  led  very  much  their  life.  He  had  but  two  strik- 
ing characteristics,  —  a  capacity  for  hard  work,  and 
for  still,  concentrated  passion.  Both  temper  and 
heart  combined  to  give  him  the  power  to  love 
and  to  hate  with  unmeasured  intensity.  He  was  a 

13 


290  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

curiously  undemonstrative  person  ;  but  it  would  have 
been  difficult  for  a  keen  observer  to  look  at  him  with- 
out seeing  that  it  would  be  as  well  to  allow  him  to 
remain  so.  What  little  culture  she  would  take,  and 
what  social  style  she  had  acquired,  were  chiefly  ow- 
ing to  his  endeavor;  but  she  had  long  since  passed 
beyond  his  control. 

"  Van  Arsdale  has  built  up  his  wife,"  Reginald 
once  laughed ;  "  but  I  declare  he  would  have  to  get 
on  a  scaffolding  now  to  reach  her,  the  little  lady 
carries  her  head  so  high."  And  he  stated  the  case 
very  correctly. 

It  was  the  night  after  his  talk  with  Christie  upon 
the  new  social  star  that  Reginald  entered  a  ball-room 
with  curiosity  and  interest  roused  by  the  prospect  of 
seeing  the  much-discussed  beauty.  He  was  not  dis- 
appointed. He  recognized  her,  standing  near  the 
host,  surrounded  by  a  cordon  of  admirers,  the  centre 
of  observation.  Moving  up  the  room  with  Christie, 
he  surveyed  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  at  his  leisure. 

She  was  one  of  those  women  whose  radiant  color- 
ing requires  none  in  their  dress ;  whose  tinting  be- 
comes a  vivid  glory  when  contrasted  against  a  dead 
background.  She  wore  this  night  a  dress  of  rich 
black  lace,  with  some  striking  arrangement  in  her 
red-gold  hair,  which  gave  her  the  effect  of  a  Spanish 
beauty.  Her  slender  neck  and  arms  and  snowy 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  291 

shoulders  shone  like  alabaster  against  their  slight 
shading  ;  and  skin  and  lips  and  eyes  had  a  clear  bril- 
liancy of  color  which  was  almost  magical.  Without 
flower  or  jewel,  she  seemed  the  most  splendidly- 
dressed  woman  in  the  room. 

She  was  evidently  enjoying  her  position  to  the 
full ;  giving  a  look  to  one,  a  side-glance  to  another, 
and  a  smile  to  a  third  ;  making  each  think  his  favor 
best  Avorth  having,  with  a  cool  dexterity  which 
showed  she  had  practised  the  art  long  and  well.  As 
Reginald  approached  that  end  of  the  room  to  make 
his  salutation  to  his  entertainer,  she  glanced  at  him, 
and  then  looked  again,  with  the  thought  that  had 
been  in  so  many  women's  minds,  —  that  he  was  the 
handsomest  man  she  had  ever  seen. 

She  remembered  him  in  a  moment,  and,  as  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Archer  turned  from  the  lady  of  the  house, 
smiled  the  sweetest  smile  upon  the  wife  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  husband. 

"  I  remember  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  so  well,  that  I 
presume  to  hope  she  has  not  entirely  forgotten  me," 
said  Reginald,  as  he  made  his  superb  bow  before 
her ;  and  she  returned  it  with  equal  grace  and  em- 
pressement. 

As  he  raised  his  head,  their  eyes  met ;  and  that 
strange,  slight  look  of  mutual  recognition  and  under- 
standing, which  always  flashes  between  such  a  man 


292  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

and  woman,  passed  swiftly  between  them,  and  the 
beginning  of  the  end  had  come.  That  curious 
glance,  and  the  smile  in  the  depths  of  the  eyes,  noti- 
fies each  instantly  of  the  past  life  and  present  char- 
acter of  the  other.  It  is  as  though  the  devil  in  each 
silently  looks  out,  and  salutes  his  fellow  in  the  other. 
There  is  no  need  of  further  explanation  :  each  knows 
the  old  familiar  ground,  and  exactly  how  any  word 
or  act  will  be  received, — just  the  old  game  ;  and  the 
players  have  the  confidence  of  certainty  and  long 
practice. 

Standing  quietly  by,  Christie  caught  the  expres- 
sion, as  she  had  done  so  often  before.  A  man  seldom 
makes  eyes  over  his  wife's  head  without  her  becom- 
ing aware  of  the  fact,  whether  he  be  moved  by 
criminal  intent  or  mere  shallow  vanity ;  and  there 
is  scarcely  a  woman  alive  whose  love  will  bear  such 
attrition,  or  who  will  not  learn  with  startling  rapidity 
the  lesson  thus  conveyed  and  the  art  thus  taught. 
Once  making  up  her  mind  to  benefit  by  the  instruc- 
tion, and  practise  upon  her  own  account,  she  soon 
surpasses  her  teacher  in  skill,  dexterity,  and  ardor  in 
the  pursuit.  Unless,  like  Reginald  Archer,  a  man  be 
absolutely  regardless  of  his  wife's  love,  attention,  or 
honor,  unless  he  be  perfectly  willing  for  her  to  go  to 
any  length  that  may  please  her,  he  is  paying  a  haz- 
ardous price  in  setting  her  such  an  example  ;  in  mak- 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  293 

ing  her  feel,  that,  let  come  what  will,  the  initiatory 
responsibility  rests  with  him. 

But  Reginald  had  long  since  divorced  himself  from 
such  weakness  and  unfairness  concerning  his  wife, 
and  enjoyed  himself  without  fear. 

Christie,  like  all  innocent  but  original,  clear- 
sighted women,  from  seeing  nothing,  had  come  to  see 
every  thing.  Nothing  escaped  her  silent  observation, 
nor  her  terribly  truthful  interpretation ;  and,  as  she 
stood  talking  to  the  gentleman  in  front  of  her,  she 
was  quietly  watching  the  by-play  between  Mrs.  Van 
Arsdale  and  her  husband,  with  the  sensation  with 
which  such  scenes  always  filled  her.  He  had  no 
longer  any  place  in  her  heart,  and  consequently  could 
not  make  that  -heart  ache  and  bleed :  she  had  none 
of  the  ordinary  feeling  of  jealousy,  as  that  necessi- 
tates some  remnant  of  affection.  But  when  a  man 
or  woman  has  had  a  great  magnanimous  faith  in  an- 
other, and  has  seen  it  pass  away  forever,  there  some- 
times grows,  out  of  very  sorrow  and  shame,  a  dread- 
ful sense  of  bitter  humor.  To  look  unshrinkingly  at 
the  thing  we  have  worshipped,  and  see  it  in  its  naked 
outline  and  natural  colors ;  to  watch  it  in  its  blind 
vanity  displaying  itself  in  all  its  lights,  exhibiting 
more  and  more  with  every  movement  its  weakness 
and  coarseness,  if  not  its  mean  falsity  ;  holding  up  to 
view  its  shallowness,  its  triviality,  its  pitiful  suscep- 


294  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

tibility  to  flattery  from  any  and  every  source,  —  to  do 
this  sometimes  stirs  a  laughter  which  is  more  terrible 
than  burning  tears.  Love  can  co-exist  with  almost 
every  sensation  except  absolute  contempt :  that  kills 
it  once  and  forever.  The  devotion  which  would  be 
strong  and  steadfast  to  resist  poverty,  temptation,  the 
powers  of  earth  and  hell  combined  for  its  destruction, 
will  wither  like  Jonah's  gourd  at  the  breath  of  this 
subtile  sentiment.  If  it  once  dimly  enters  a  woman's 
heart  in  connection  with  the  man  she  loves,  let  him 
look  to  it  speedily ;  for  his  power  over  her  is  going, 
and  going  fast.  Nothing  is  so  effective  nor  so 
permanent  in  healing  heart-wounds:  when  the  full 
heat  of  that  iron  has  gone  over  them,  they  are  indeed 
cicatrized. 

It  was  this  cruel  cure  which  had  come  to  Christie, 
enabling  her  to  stand  and  watch  the  scene  before  her 
with  such  a  terrible  perversion  of  the  grief,  anger, 
and  shame,  which  would  have  naturally  filled  her 
heart  at  the  sight.  She  had  long  since  parted  with 
personal  feeling  in  regard  to  her  husband's  conduct ; 
and  its  absence  told  its  own  wretched  tale. 

Special  resentment  towards  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  did 
not  occur  to  her.  She  knew  that,  if  not  she,  it  would 
only  have  been  some  other  of  the  thousand  and  one 
bold,  if  not  bad  women,  which  such  men  meet  ready 
to  their  hands  at  every  turn.  Talking  wittily  to 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  295 

those  around  her,  her  physical  frame  was  thrilling 
with  disgust :  her  soul  was  rilled  with  the  old  wild 
longing  to  escape  by  some  means  from  the  evil  which 
surrounded  her  like  a  tainted  atmosphere.  That 
startling  difference  between  a  woman's  feeling  and 
seeming  was  seldom  greater  than  then,  as  Christie's 
eyes  and  words  both  grew  brighter,  though  the  glitter 
of  each  was  that  of  steel  rather  than  of  sunshine. 

Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  was  undeniably  the  great  suc- 
cess of  the  evening.  She  had,  as  it  were,  the  whole 
company  pursuing  her ;  but  Reginald  held  his  own 
gallantly,  keeping  the  head  of  the  course  like  a 
splendid  racer.  He  soon  found  she  was  below  medi- 
ocrity in  intellect,  and  did  not  comprehend  half  the 
beautifully-turned  compliments  he  paid  her ;  but  it 
gave  for  a  little  while  a  piquant  spice  to  the  situa- 
tion to  see  her  turn  up  her  splendid  eyes  and  show 
her  pearly  teeth  at  appropriate  moments,  as  though 
by  instinct,  in  reply  to  sentences  she  did  not  and 
could  not  comprehend.  Handsome  as  she  was,  he 
might  have  tired  of  this,  but  that  two-thirds  of  the 
men  in  the  room  were  dying  to  be  in  his  place  ;  and 
that  sustained  the  excitement.  He  had  openly  en- 
tered the  lists  ;  and  his  reputation  did  not  suffer  him 
to  leave  or  to  remain,  except  as  winner.  Incapable 
of  love  at  any  time,  coolly  critical  of  -the  woman 
before  him,  and  conscious  of  her  absolute  worthless- 


296  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

ness  except  as  a  fine  animal,  he  and  his  intimates  well 
knew  the  work  for  the  next  few  months  which  this 
night  was  carving  out. 

But  Reginald  seldom  cheapened  himself  by  be- 
stowing too  large  a  portion  of  his  time  and  attention 
upon  any  one,  and,  before  the  evening  was  over, 
left  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale,  and  came  to  that  part  of  the 
room  where  his  wife,  Mrs.  Lester,  and  several  other 
ladies,  formed  a  gay  group.  Making  himself  su- 
premely fascinating  to  the  party,  he  showed  Mrs. 
Van  Arsdale  his  value  among  other  women. 

But  that  lady  was  of  a  most  practical  turn  of 
mind,  and  never  wasted  her  time  in  even  momentary 
regrets  over  any  one  man,  let  him  be  what  he  might. 
So,  turning  to  the  next  comer,  she  lavished  upon  him 
the  same  smiles  and  meaning  glances  she  had  given 
his  predecessor. 

He  happened  to  be  a  rich  young  fool,  whose  money 
gave  him  a  certain  importance  in  society,  which  par- 
doned his  stupidity  and  homeliness  in  consideration 
of  his  prodigality.  He  was  accustomed  to  the  defer- 
ence he  was  receiving,  and  to  keeping  better  men  at 
bay.  Except  that  he  was  the  ugliest,  instead  of  the 
handsomest  man  in  the  room,  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale 
found  him  quite  as  agreeable  a  companion  as  the 
witty,  cultivated  gentleman  who  had  given  place  to 
him;  indeed,  understanding  his  conversation  much 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  297 

better,  she  answered  it  with  much  more  comfort  to 
herself. 

The  group  around  Reginald  looked  on  with  an 
amusement  which  he  perfectly  shared.  Reginald's 
vanity  had  the  rare  peculiarity  of  never  injuring  his 
sense  of  humor,  as  his  vices  did  not  affect  his  percep- 
tion nor  his  sense  of  justice,  —  traits  which  place 
him  alone  in  my  memory.  The  situation  tickled  his 
fancy ;  and  he  smiled  over  it  more  genuinely,  perhaps, 
than  any  one  present.  But  even  the  millionnaire  was 
not  allowed  to  retain  his  place  very  long :  he  was 
soon  crowded  away  by  a  set  of  old  society  beaux, 
who  had  been  waiting  their  opportunity,  and  who 
each  received  the  same  prodigal  welcome. 

"It's  all  fish  that  comes  to  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale's 
net,"  laughed  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  stood  by 
Christie. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  woman !  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Lester,  who  was  beginning  to  lose  her  temper 
at  this  entire  monopoly  of  the  general  attention. 
"  Why,  she  would  make  eyes  at  the  archangel  Ga- 
briel !  " 

The  tinge  of  virtuous  indignation  with  which  she 
spoke  was,  coming  from  such  a  source,  almost  too 
much  for  the  self-control  of  the  party.  Many  of 
them  bit  their  lips  to  keep  down  their  laughter. 

"  Reminds  one  of  the  old  saying  about  the  pot 

13* 


298  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

calling  the  kettle  black,"  whispered  the  first  speaker 
to  Reginald,  evidently  having  a  habit  of  saving 
himself  the  wear  and  tear  of  original  expression  by 
putting  his  thoughts  into  proverbs. 

"I  think  Gabriel  would  be  quite  safe  from  Mrs. 
Van  Arsdale's  attentions,"  said  Christie  quietly.  "  I 
imagine  she  directs  them  to  human  rather  than  to 
angelic  attractions.  But  I  fancy,  that,  like  some  other 
persons  I  have  known,  she  acts  upon  Burns's  broad 
general  principle,  that  '  a  man's  a  man  for  a'  that.' ': 

There  was  a  laugh,  apparently  at  Mrs.  Van  Ars- 
dale's expense  ;  but  it  was  Mrs.  Lester  who  really 
paid  for  the  epigram,  as  she  was  well  aware.  Not  a 
few  of  those  who  stood  round  her,  who  had  suffered 
from  her  evil  tongue",  rejoiced  in  their  hearts  at  the 
double  hit ;  and  Christie's  quotation  from  Burns 
was  repeated  in  connection  with  the  elder  lady  for 
many  a  day. 

At  his  wife's  final  words  Reginald  turned  around, 
radiant  with  delight.  Humor  and  wit  charmed  him 
at  all  times ;  and  to  be  the  legitimate  possessor  of 
the  wittiest  woman  present  was  always  a  sweet  mor- 
sel which  he  rolled  under  his  tongue. 

"  Of  course  you  have  said  the  best  thing  which  has 
been  said  this  evening,  Christie ;  you  always  do,"  he 
whispered  laughingly.  "  But  the  idea  of  Marian 
Lester  objecting  to  an  equal  and  universal  distribu- 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  299 

tion  of  favors  !  It's  too  funny !  Angelic  characters 
are  not  in  much  danger  from  either  lady,  I  imagine." 

"And  yet  I  can  fancy  Mrs.  Lester  discoursing 
sentimentally  to  St.  Paul  concerning  his  thorn  in  the 
flesh,"  Christie  replied  under  her  breath,  "  and 
attempting  to  build  up  a  flirtation  upon  that  slender 
foundation." 

Reginald  went  off  into  soft,  smothered  laughter ; 
and  those  around  him  vainly  begged  to  know  the 
cause  of  his  amusement. 

He  appreciated  the  delicate  flattery  of  the  fact  that 
his  wife  was  never  so  brilliant  as  when  alone  with 
him.  She  talked  from  genuine  interest  in  her 
subject,  and  not  to  astonish  society  with  mental  fire- 
works ;  and  consequently  was  most  responsive  to  the 
listener  who  best  comprehended  her.  He  had  ac- 
quired, in  some  degree,  that  mental  belief  in  and 
admiration  for  his  wife  which  he  had  so  long  pos- 
sessed for  his  brother  Tom.  But,  alas!  his  feeling 
was  as  powerless  in  one  case  as  in  the  other  to  re- 
strain him  from  evil,  or  to  control  him  for  good.  Not 
half  an  hour  after,  he  was  again  at  Mrs.  Van  Ars- 
dale's  side,  with  that  meaning  look  and  touch  of  the 
hand  at  parting,  which  were  a  portion  of  as  cool  and 
deliberate  a  plan  for  his  self-gratification  as  the  order- 
ing of  his  carriage  or  the  eating  of  his  dinner. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

INGE  the  night  when  T.om  had  stood  under  his 
brother's  roof  and  seen  Christie's  head  droop 
with  grief,  he  had  scrupulously  avoided  meeting  her. 
He  had  tested  his  strength,  or  rather  his  weakness,  in 
regard  to  her ;  and  he  did  not  dare  to  let  #ny  strain 
come  upon  his  self-control.  They  met  occasionally 
at  his  own  house ;  but  he  made  these  encounters  as 
few,  short,  and  quiet  as  possible. 

Yet,  such  as  they  were,  he  did  not  recover  from 
them  for  days  after.  They  quickened  the  dull  pain 
at  his  heart,  set  his  nerves  quivering  and  his  blood 
throbbing.  What  slight  ma'stery  he  had  gained  over 
his  passionate  love  he  could  not  afford  to  imperil, 
and  consequently  put  a  safe  distance  between  them. 

Yet  he   watched  her  from   afar,  sedulously  and. 
ceaselessly,  always  with  one  great  dread  of  what  he 
might  read  in  her  face. 

"I.s  it  possible  to  touch  pitch,  and  not  be  defiled  ?  " 
was  the  thought  ever  in  his  mind.  She  seemed  to 
him  to  be  undergoing  the  old  ordeal  of  walking  over 

300 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  301 

hot  iron;  but  would  she  be  unscathed?  She  was 
perpetually  in  his  thoughts ;  and  he  took  care  that  she 
should  be  often  in  his  sight.  He  went  to  operas  and 
theatres  where  he  knew  he  should  see  her ;  and,  in 
spite  of  his  old  keen  appreciation  of  any  good  perform- 
ance, neither  actress  nor  singer  had  power  to  draw  his 
attention  from  the  face  he  studied.  Occasionally  he 
would  accept  invitations  to  balls  and  parties,  and 
watch  her  when  she  little  imagined  he  was  near. 

But  though  he  saw  many  changes  in  that  counte- 
nance, saw  it  light  up  into  a  brilliancy  that  had  no 
real  warmth  or  sweetness,  and  pale  into  a  hungry 
longing  for  escape  from  existence,  he  looked  in  vain 
for  the  moral  fall  and  spiritual  declension  he  so 
feared. 

"  She  is  still  pure  and  unsullied  in  word,  thought, 
and  deed."  And  the  man's  strong  heart,  which  bled 
for  her  pain,  gave  a  great  throb  of  infinite  joy  and 
triumph  that  he  could  still  love  and  honor  and  adore 
her. 

Tom  Archer  had  that  native  cleanliness  of  soul 
from  which  he  could  no  more  have  loved  an  unchaste 
woman  than  he  could  have  worshipped  an  impure 
God.  Had  Christie  stained  mind  and  body  with  sin 
and  shame,  his  love  for  her  would  have  died,  though 
he  died  with  it.  Even  had  she  loved  him  as  he 
loved  her,  and  had  offered  to  sacrifice  her  soul  for  his 


302  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

sake,  to  cast  herself  away  for  his  gratification,  she 
would  merely  have  destroyed  her  power  over  him, 
and  made  him  a  free  man.  She  could  use  no  surer 
means  of  slaying  his  deep  devotion  than  by  showing  a 
willingness  to  grant  that  for  which  he  would  never  so- 
licit. He  might  have  gone  on  sorrowfully  adoring  the 
woman  he  had  believed  her  to  be  ;  but,  as  for  herself, 
she  would  have  been  to  him  as  one  dead  and  buried. 
Such  men  cannot  love  like  beasts  of  the  field ;  and 
the  woman  who  falls  to  that  level  falls  too  far  for 
them  to  follow  her.  To  them  literally  God  is  love, 
and  love  is  God,  It  is  their  religion,  their  aspiration, 
their  hope  of  heaven  here  and  hereafter.  Tom's 
love  took  a  new  lease  of  life  with  every  look  at  the 
pure,  sweet  face  he  scrutinized  with  such  terrible 
keenness ;  for  it  seemed  to  him,  at  times,  that  of  a 
shining  angel,  drawing  him  to  a  nobler,  higher  man- 
hood, —  towards  that  heaven  which  is  our  home. 

In  their  chance-meetings  she  tried  him  sorely  by 
her  evident  need  of  him,  and  longing  for  his  help. 

"We  never  see  you  now,  Tom,"  she  would  say, 
with  that  wistful  look  in  her  eyes.  "  When  you 
promised  to  be  my  brother,  I  thought  I  should  have 
you  to  turn  to  at  every  moment." 

And  Tom  would  be  faint  and  sick  as  he  answered 
hurriedly,  that  he  had  been  too  much  engrossed  in 
business  for  visiting  of  any  kind.  Christie  would 


REGINALD   ARCHER.      ".  30J5 

look  at  him  sadly  and  wearily,  as  though  she  were 
too  well  accustomed  to  disappointments  to  be  sur- 
prised ;  and  Tom  would  go  away  in  such  an  immeas- 
urable rage  and  disgust  at  his  brother,  that  he  did 
not  dare  to  see  him  for  days  after. 

Week  by  week,  in  her  painful  solving  of  the  prob- 
lem of  life,  Tom  grew  to  have  a  larger  and  larger 
share  in  Christie's  thoughts.  Seeing  around  her  bad 
faith  of  every  kind,  —  husbands  deceiving  their  wives, 
wives  slyly  and  quietly  outwitting  their  husbands,  — 
she  naturally  turned  with  almost  passionate  ardor 
even  to  the  remembrance  of  the  person  in  whom  her 
belief  was  founded  as  upon  a  rock.  In  her  doubt  of 
all  things,  Reginald's  trust  in  Tom  strengthened  her 
confidence  not  a  little ;  for  she  fully  appreciated  her 
husband's  intellectual  acuteness  and  candor. 

"  I  fancy  Diogenes  has  followers  even  at  this  day 
in  his  search  for  an  honest  man,  and  that  they  meet 
with  the  same  want  of  success,"  Christie  said  bitterly 
one  day  when  some  flagrant  occurrence  was  being 
commented  upon. 

"  Not  always,"  returned  Reginald  with  airy  sweet- 
ness. "  For  myself,  I  may  say  that  there  I  have  the 
advantage  of  Diogenes.  I  have  never  made  myself 
ridiculous  with  lantern  in  a  market-place  ;  but  I  have 
seen  what  he  sought  in  vain  ;  which  goes  to  prove  that 
the  true  philosophy  of  life  is  to  sit  still  and  let  things 


304  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

come  to  you,  instead  of  fatiguing  yourself  by  running 
after  them,  and  missing  them  at  last." 

Reginald  liked  the  sound  of  his  own  rich,  finely- 
modulated  tones,  in  which  he  certainly  showed  his 
taste  ;  and,  being  always  at  leisure,  was  extremely 
fond  of  giving  out  his  opinions  at  any  time  to  a  good 
listener. 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  have  a  talent  for  scepticism  equal 
even  to  that  of  Montaigne ;  and  I  hold  que  sais-je  to 
be  the  wisest  motto  ever  adopted :  but,  with  all  my 
doubting,  I  have  never  been  able  to  doubt  Tom." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Christie.  "  I  had  forgotten 
him  when  I  spoke  ;  and  I  beg  his  pardon  sincerely." 

Then  she  looked  at  the  man  before  her,  and  won- 
dered afresh  how,  from  the  same  father  and  mother, 
could  have  been  created  two  beings  so  unlike  as  him- 
self and  his  brother,  —  one  of  the  mysteries  which 
has  perplexed  wiser,  older  heads  than  hers. 

Thus  it  was,  that,  though  parted  from  her,  Tom 
still  maintained  so  deep  and  warm  a  place  in  her 
innermost  nature.  Unconscious  of  his  limitless  devo- 
tion to  her,  she  still  thought  of  him  and  wearied  for 
him  through  long  desolate  hours,  when  he  little 
imagined  that  she  recollected  his  existence.  That 
last  private  conversation  they  had  had  before  her 
marriage,  when  he  had  striven  to  warn  and  protect 
her ;  when  he  had  demanded,  that,  looking  at  persons 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  305 

and  things  with  enlightened  eyes,  she  should  one  day 
do  him  tardy  justice,  —  how  it  came  back  to  her  now  ! 
and  how  she  fulfilled  his  requirement  from  the  depths 
of  her  crushed  heart!  Weighing  all  things  in  the 
balance,  and  finding  so  many  wanting,  it  was  small 
wonder  that  her  soul  clung  almost  convulsively  to 
the  only  being  in  whom  they  had  found  certain  secu- 
rity and  rest.  Ah !  Tom  was  not  forgotten,  as  he 
sometimes  tortured  himself  by  thinking,  as  the  blank 
days  in  which  he  neither  saw  nor  heard  of  her  went 
wearily  on. 

Being  a  man  of  general  culture  and  of  strong 
taste  for  the  beautiful,  he  was  naturally  fond  of  all 
things  artistic,  but  especially  of  pictures.  He  car- 
ried the  same  perception  and  clear  original  judgment 
into  this  matter  as  into  his  business.  He  knew  a 
good  picture  from  a  bad  one,  let  the  surroundings  of 
either  be  what  they  might :  and  Reginald  never  felt 
perfectly  satisfied  with  his  art-purchases  until  Tom 
had  given  his  nod  of  approbation  ;  then  he  felt  pre- 
pared to  face  critics,  professional  or  amateur. 

Tom  liked  to  hang  round  old  print-shops,  and  thus 
pick  up  bargains  in  books  and  engravings  which  made 
his  brother's  mouth  water.  Thus  it  was,  that  a 
week  or  two  after  that  evening  in  Reginald's  house, 
when  the  sorrowful,  upward,  appealing  look  of  the 
woman  he  loved  was  haunting  him  day  and  night, 


306  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

he  chanced  upon  a  little  old  line-engraving,  which 
became  from  that  moment  a  treasure  he  would 
have  purchased  at  any  price.  It  was  merely  a 
pale,  tintless  head,  so  young  and  innocent  as  to 
seem  almost  that  of  a  child ;  but  the  raised  eyes 
had  the  tearful,  pleading  tenderness  which  has 
touched  the  whole  world's  heart  in  the  face  of  the 
Cenci,  or  rather  the  foreshadowing  of  that  divine 
sorrow  which  is  on  the  brow  of  the  Mater  Dolorosa. 
The  likeness  to  Christie,  not  only  in  expression  as  he 
had  seen  her  upon  that  evening,  but  in  actual  feature, 
was  very  strong. 

Taking  it  in  his  hand,  he  went  up  to  the  queer  old 
creature  who  kept  the  shop,  who  had  lived  among 
his  collection  until  he  parted  from  each  article  almost 
as  from  a  friend. 

"  What  do  you  ask  for  this  ?  "  Tom  inquired. 

The  old  man  glanced  up  pleasantly  to  see  what 
was  in  his-  hand ;  for  he  and  Tom  were  on  the  best 
terms.  Having  seen  it,  he  pushed  his  spectacles  up  on 
his  forehead,  and  looked  curiously  at  his  questioner. 

"  So  you  found  out  that  for  yourself !  I  have 
showed  it  to  a  good  many  gentlemen  ;  but  they  didn't 
seem  to  see  much  in  it,"  he  said  dryly.  "  I  am  glad 
you  are  to  have  it,  though  I  shall  miss  it  myself." 

And  he  named  a  comparatively  large  price  for  the 
small  picture,  which  Tom  paid  without  a  word. 


REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  Put  it  into  this  frame,"  said  Tom,  selecting  the 
least  noticeable  one  he  could  find. 

And  the  old  man  did  so. 

Then  Tom  took  it  with  him  to  his  private  counting- 
room,  and  hung  it  in  the  shaded  recess,  just  -above 
the  desk  where  he  always  sat.  There  it  remained 
unobserved,  except  that,  occasionally,  a  man  more 
cultured  and  quick-sighted  than  others  would  happen 
to  be  near  when  the  sunlight  accidentally  fell  upon 
it,  and  would  exclaim,  — 

"  What  a  beautiful  little  engraving !    What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Madonna,"  Tom  would  quietly  reply ;  and  the 
questioner  would  go  away,  supposing  that  he  had 
been  looking  at  a  representation  of  the  Virgin.  Tom 
held  that  he  spoke  the  exact  truth ;  for  she  was  to 
him  literally  Madonna,  "  my  lady,"  —  the  object  of 
his  love,  his  life,  and  his  prayers. 

About  this  time  there  appeared  upon  his  desk,  just 
below  the  picture,  though  with  no  apparent  connec- 
tion with  it,  a  delicate  little  glass,  from  which  each 
morning  a  fresh  blossom  shed  perfume  ;  just  as  in 
other  lands  they  place  flowers  and  burn  incense  at 
the  shrines  of  the  saints  they  worship.  In  the  hard, 
money-getting  existence  which  seemed  all  that  was 
left  to  him,  that  one  evidence  of  his  inner  life  was 
never  allowed  to  wither,  or  even  to  droop. 

"  My  dear  fellow,  you  must  be  growing  gay  or  sen- 


308  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

timental,  though  you  don't  look  either,"  laughed  one 
of  his  fellow-merchants,  "  with  your  fresh  flower 
every  day." 

"  Each  one  to  his  taste,"  replied  Tom  coolly. 
"  You  wear  your  bouquet  in  your  button-hole  in  your 
play-hours ;  and  I  keep  mine  before  me  during  my 
working  ones." 

"  I  imagined  that  it  was  the  flour,  rather  than  the 
flower,  of  existence,  that  both  you  and  I  cultivated 
most  extensively,  and  that  it  was  literally  the  bread 
and  butter  of  life  which  we  strove  for,"  his  visitor 
went  on.  And  the  young  man  flattered  himself  that 
he  had  said  rather  a  neat  thing,  inasmuch  as  he  had 
come  in  to  inquire  about  a  shipment  of  wheat. 

Tom  smiled,  and  allowed  him  to  carry  away  that 
illusion. 

This  was  the  degree  of  attention  excited  by  the 
change  in  Tom's  office,  —  slight  to  others,  but  to  him 
every  thing.  In  the  long,  solitary  hours  of  dream- 
ing, rather  than  thinking,  which  came  to  him  so  often 
with  the  ebb  and  flow  of  business,  this  picture  grew 
to  be  a  companion.  The  silent  face  spoke  to  him  as 
but  one  living  countenance  had  power  to  do.  The 
purity  and  love  and  faith  which  dwelt  hi  those  eyes 
were  a  surety  of  their  existence  elsewhere  :  that  the 
heart  of  humanity  had  ever  conceived  them  gave 
proof  that  they  still  lived  within  that  heart.  That 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  309 

thing  of  beauty  was  to  him  not  merely  a  joy  forever, 
but  a  poem,  a  sermon,  a  teaching  from  on  high.  Life 
had  for  him  peace,  if  not  happiness,"  as  he  sometimes 
sat  at  evening  and  saw  the  soft  sunset  light  fade 
away  from  the  face,  and  remembered  the  end  to  all 
suffering  and  sorrow ;  the  close  of  life  itself,  when, 
after  the  long  day's  faithful  toil,  comes  the  sweet, 
eternal  rest  on  the  bosom  of  our  Father  and  our 
God.  Among  the  many  descriptions  of  heaven,  Job's 
sentence,  spoken  so  long  ago,  seems  to  me  still  the 
best,  the  one  to  which  human  nature's  needs  turn 
with  surest  longing,  concerning  a  place  "  where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at 
rest."  These  were  the  words  Tom  thought  of  when 
he  hoped  for  another  life,  —  for  its  recompenses,  its 
healing,  and  its  peace. 

Reginald  had  been  sorely  disappointed  at  his  broth- 
er's persistent  refusal  of  all  his  invitations,  and  had 
tried  every  method  to  induce  him  to  spend  much 
time  at  his  house  :  but  he  found  that  his  effort  was 
useless ;  that  Tom's  quiet,  invariable  "  No  "  meant 
exactly  what  it  said.  He  regretted  the  fact  as  much 
as  he  could  regret  any  thing ;  but  was  too  practical, 
even  in  this  matter,  to  waste  his  strength  in  fruitless 
attempts.  Tom's  manner  showed  him  so  unwaver- 
ingly that  he  was  unwelcome,  that  even  his  gay 'com- 
posure gave  way  before  the  resolute  pressure ;  and 


310  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

his  visits  to  his  brother's  office  became  less  frequent. 
Still  he  came  occasionally  for  his  own  amusement ; 
and  Tom  had  not  yet  shaken  him  off. 

Since  Reginald's  marriage,  he  had,  besides  his  ques- 
tionable pleasures,  his  large  establishment,  and  in- 
creased social  duties,  to  entertain  him,  and  so  did  not 
feel  such  an  absolute  need  of  his  brother's  wit  as 
hitherto  ;  and,  since  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  had  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  she  had  occupied  his  time  and  atten- 
tion. His  pursuit  of  her  had  been  so  open  and  eager, 
that  it  was  the  common  talk  of  society ;  and  people 
laughed,  admired,  or  denounced,  as  their  ideas  of 
right  differed.  The  devotion  of  such  a  man  allows 
but  one  interpretation ;  and  such  was  generally  given 
it.  The  rumor  had  reached  Tom,  rendering  him 
savage  against  his  brother ;  for  he  knew  only  too 
well  the  probability  of  its  truth. 

Reginald  had  been  bowing  at  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale's 
shrine  for  about  two  months,  and  was,  perhaps, 
rather  bored  by  that  lady,  and  indeed  by  persons 
and  things  in  general,  when  one  day  he  lounged 
into  Tom's  office,  hoping  to  revive  himself  by  a  men- 
tal tonic.  Entering  with  his  radiant  grace  and  shin- 
ing good  humor,  Tom  physically  sickened  at  the  sight 
of  him.  He  felt  as  though  it  would  be  a  direct  com- 
promise with  the  Devil  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with 
him.  It  seemed  surrendering  Ms  whole  standard  of 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  311 

right  even  to  speak  to  him  ;  and,  indeed,  he  scarcely 
did  so,  though  they  had  not  met  for  a  long  while. 

Reginald  made  himself  comfortable  as  usual,  and 
for  five  minutes  sustained  the  conversation  with  the 
merest  monosyllabic  assistance  from  his  brother. 

"  Upon  my  word,  old  fellow,  you  are  crustier  than 
ever  this  morning,"  Reginald  exclaimed  at  last  with 
a  laugh.  "  What's  the  matter  ?  Is  it  I,  or  some- 
thing else,  that  is  annoying  you  ?  " 

The  self-enjoyment,  the  unruffled  self-complacency 
of  the  tone,  broke  down  Tom's  fast-weakening  nerves 
and  patience ;  and  he  turned  suddenly  upon  his 
brother  with  eyes  that  flashed  an  anger  and  disgust 
he  could  not  control. 

"  Why  do  you  come  here,  Reginald  ?  You  know 
my  opinion  of  you.  I  have  told  it  to  you  before ; 
and  why  do  you  tempt  me  to  tell  it  to  you  again  more 
strongly  than  ever  ?  " 

Reginald  looked  at  Tom  very  quietly  for  a  moment. 
He  was  not  at  all  angry ;  in  fact,  he  rather  enjoyed 
the  idea  of  a  sharp  skirmish.  He  had  what  might  be 
called  an  insatiable  appetite  for  pluck,  and  a  hunger 
for  the  gratification  of  his  intellectual  curiosity ;  and 
both  of  these  Tom  satisfied. 

"  Ah  !  "  he  said  slowly,  "  the  old  trouble  breaking 
out,  is  it  ?  and  fresh  fuel  on  the  fire  !  I  supposed 
as  much." 


312  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

The  analytical  coolness  of  the  words  and  manner 
was  beyond  endurance. 

"  Reginald  !  "  Tom  cried  out,  "  I  know  it  is  idiotic 
to  attempt  to  appeal  to  you,  or  to  stop  you  in  your 
course  ;  but  I  can't  help  doing  it.  Man,  when  I 
remember  that  you  are  my  pure  mother's  son,  I 
almost  doubt  the  God  above  us." 

"  Tom,"  said  the  other  quietly,  "  you  are  too  hard 
on  me.  This  is  all  the  wrong  I  do,  if  it  be  any  wrong. 
You  and  I  are  entirely  different.  But  I  admit  that  I 
have  a  strong  natural  appetite  for  forbidden  fruit, 
while  other  persons  have  no  constitutional  taste  for 
apples." 

Tom's  face  flushed  crimson. 

"  Do  you  imagine,"  he  asked  in  that  low,  concen- 
trated tone  to  which  intense  passion  always  re- 
duced his  voice,  "  that  all  pure  men  and  women 
belong  to  that  latter  class  ?  " 

"  By  heavens,  no !  "  exclaimed  the  other,  as  he 
saw  the  blue  veins  rise  like  cords  across  his  brother's 
temples.  "  It  is  not  water  that  runs  in  your  veins, 
my  dear  fellow,  any  more  than  in  mine.  I  am  per- 
fectly willing  to  admit  that  I  am  the  weak  man  of  us 
two,  and  that  you  are  the  strong  one ;  that  we  have 
about  the  same  passions,  and  you  have  the  pluck  and 
strength  to  control  them,  and  I  have  not.  I  don't 
blind  myself  in  this  matter,  or  in  any  other,  if  I  can 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  313 

help  it.  I  well  know  that  to  hold  the  helm  of  your 
nature  through  every  thing  is  the  great  test  of  man- 
hood ;  and  that  to  allow  one's  self  to  be  driven  by 
inclination,  however  swift  and  fiery,  can  only  be  the 
result  of"  weakness.  Why,  I  will  confess  to  you, 
that  you  once  so  fired  my  young  ambition,  that,  for  a 
little  while,  I  attempted  to  emulate  you.  Good  God  ! 
I  can  remember  it  now."  And  he  gave  a  great  sigh 
of  infinite  relief,  as  though  the  recollection  of  the 
weariness  of  his  effort  were  too  much  for  him  even 
then. 

"  However,"  he  wound  up,  "  as  I  was  evidently 
given  no  moral  nature,  I  don't  see  how  I  can  be  held 
responsible  for  one." 

"  I  observe  that  we  are  all  given  an  immoral  na- 
ture," exclaimed  Tom  bitterly.  "  They  tell  us  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  us ;  but  I  am  sure 
the  kingdom  of  the  Devil  is  there  also,  and  that  the 
coming  of  temptation  is  merely  the  striking  of  the 
hour  for  an  emotion  to  pass  into  act.  The  funda- 
mental passions  are  in  everybody ;  and  the  strongest 
temptations  of  humanity  come  to  each  and  all  from 
within,  if  not  from  without.  That  which  is  a  crime 
in  one  can  never  be  a  venial  offence  in  another  :  the 
line  must  be  laid  to  all,  or  to  none.  The  moral  law 
is  as  inexorable,  though  as  invisible,  as  the  physical 
one ;  and  you  violate  either  at  your  peril.  The  ten 

14 


314  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

commandments  were  written  upon  tables  of  stone, 
not  upon  India-rubber :  they  may  be  broken,  but 
cannot  be  bent.  Reginald  Archer,  your  whole  life 
is  entered  against  you  in  Nature's  great  account-book  ; 
and  the  day  of  settlement  will  surely  come." 

The  man's  clinched  hand  upon  his  desk,  and  the 
low,  thrilling  tone  which  carried  his  tide  of  words 
almost  involuntarily  beyond  his  lips,  were  but  slight 
evidences  of  the  tremendous  conviction  with  which 
he  spoke.  The  very  air  around  them  seemed  to  vi- 
brate for  a  moment,  as  though  stirred  by  his  magnetic 
intensity.  Even  the  imperturbable  gentleman  before 
him  sat  silent,  with  a  grave  blankness  upon  his  beau- 
tiful face. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  he  broke  out  at  last  with 
a  slight  laugh,  "  though  you  and  I  have  differed  as 
radically  in  theory  as  in  practice  :  at  any  rate,  what 
I  am  I  am,  and  shall  be  to  the  end." 

Ah  !  they  little  thought  how  near  that  end  was,  or 
how  swiftly  it  was  coming,  as  they  sat  facing  each 
other,  —  the  one  in  his  righteous  wrath,  and  the  other 
in  his  smiling,  superb  carelessness,  and  both  in  the 
full  vigor  and  heat  of  manhood. 

Reginald  rose  to  his  feet,  and  gave  himself  a  slight 
shake,  as  though  finally  throwing  off  a  disagreeable 
subject.  He  moved  about  the  room  in  a  silence  his 
brother  was  too  heart-sick  to  break.  Presently  the 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  315 

picture  above  Tom's  desk  caught  his  eyes.  The  after- 
noon sun  was  striking  straight  across  it,  bringing  it 
out  in  full  relief.  He  had  hitherto  been  in  that  room 
in  the  morning,  when  the  recess  was  in  shadow,  and 
the  picture  consequently  unnoticeable.  It  struck  his 
attention  for  the  first  time. 

"  Why,  Tom,  what  an  exquisite  little  thing  !  But 
you  are  always  picking  up  something  beautiful,"  he 
exclaimed,  as  much  by  way  of  diversion  from  the 
previous  subject  as  because  he  really  admired  the 
engraving. 

He  came  and  stood  by  his  brother's  side  to  inspect 
the  picture  more  closely.  As  he  did  so,  the  likeness, 
and  the  truth  concerning  it,  flashed  upon  him. 

"  Ah !  "  he  said  slowly,  and  a  curious  smile  gath- 
ered round  his  lips.  He  saw  the  whole  story  as  clear- 
ly as  though  its  minutest  details  had  been  told  him  ; 
and  the  mocking  fiend  within  him  stirred,  and  tempted 
him  to  try  his  brother's  strength,  courage,  and  virtue 
to  the  uttermost. 

"  Tom,"  he  said  sweetly,  "  if  you  object  to  my  com- 
pany, why  don't  you  go  to  see  Christie  sometimes 
when  I  am  not  at  home,  which  is  often  enough  the 
case.  She  is  very  fond  of  you,  and  would  be  de- 
lighted to  see  you." 

Tom  glanced  up  suddenly,  and  caught  his  brother's- 
look.     He  had  been  sitting  at  his  desk  during  their 


316  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

talk ;  but  he  now  rose,  and  turned  upon  Reginald 
with  a  face  which  was  white  with  suppressed  feeling. 
For  a  moment,  the  two  gazed  straight  into  each 
other's  eyes ;  the  dare-devil  that  was  in  each  seeming 
to  strive  to  stare  the  other  out  of  countenance. 

Then  Tom  drew  a  long  breath,  and  spoke  very 
slowly. 

"  I  do  not  come,"  he  said,  "  because  I  hate  you,  and 
love  your  wife ;  and  you  know  it  as  well  as  I  do. 
And  now,"  he  went  on,  his  voice  deepening  and 
lowering,  "  go  out  of  this  room,  and  never  come  in  it, 
never  speak  to  me  again,  so  long  as  you  live  !  I  re- 
nounce you  utterly  from  this  hour !  Yes,  I  mean  ex- 
actly what  I  say,"  he  added,  as  Reginald  gave  him  a 
quick,  piercing  glance  of  scrutiny. 

"  Evidently,"  returned  the  other,  instantly  making 
up  his  mind  to  the  situation,  disagreeable  as  it  was 
to  him.  "  I  am  sorry  for  it,  Tom  ;  but,  if  you  will 
have  it  so,  so  let  it  be.  Good-by,"  he  said  pleasant- 
ly, and  bowed  himself  out  with  the  blandest  ele- 
gance, which  nothing  except  his  own  decapitation 
could  have  destroyed. 

And  then  Tom,  vibrating  in  every  fibre,  sank  down 
with  his  head  upon  his  desk,  and  wondered  afresh 
how  this  creature  could  be  of  his  own  flesh  and 
blood. 

Looking  up,  after  a  long  while,  to  the  sad,  sweet 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  317 

face  upon  the  wall  above  him,  there  came  over  him 
an  awful  realization  of  what  that  pure,  high-toned 
woman's  life  must  be ;  and  he  dimly  measured  the 
long  torture  of  her  continual  association  with  such  a 
nature  by  the  unendurability  of  his  momentary  trial. 
"  My  darling  !  —  my  poor,  innocent  darling !  " 
The  words  were  in  his  heart  at  all  times ;  but  they 
were  upon  his  lips  at  that  moment,  with  a  depth  of 
meaning  they  had  never  before  possessed. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

PERHAPS  a  month  had  passed  since  that  pas- 
sionate parting  between  the  brothers.  Regi- 
nald had  spent  the  time  in  continuing  his  open  and 
secret  pursuit  of  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale.  He  had  at- 
tained his  bad  end,  and  had  not  yet  wearied  of  his 
success.  He  was  not  particularly  elated  at  his  tri- 
umph; still  less  was  he  personally  flattered  by  it. 
He  knew  that  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  had  been  too  long 
criminal  in  all  but  act  to  make  the  single  step  left  her 
an  extremely  difficult  affair ;  that  she  had  walked  to 
the  very  edge  of  the  precipice  with  too  many  men  for 
it  to  require  wonderful  power  to  induce  her  finally 
to  pass  over  it.  He  did  not  blind  himself  to  the  fact, 
that  in  this,  as  in  all  such  cases,  he  owed  his  success 
to  the  woman's  own  nature,  and  the  training  of  his 
predecessors,  rather  than  to  his  attractions.  He  had 
an  amused  perception  of  the  truth,  that  men  and 
women  fall  more  by  temptation  from  within  than 
from  without. 

The  affair  was  growing  so  apparent  and  shameless, 

818 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  319 

that  people  began  to  scoff  and  jeer  at  Mr.  Van  Ars- 
dale  behind  his  back,  and  to  wonder  why  he,  who 
was  known  to  be  neither  fpol  nor  coward,  did  not 
take  some  means  of  putting  an  end  to  the  scandal 
and  shame. 

But  the  truth  was,  that,  of  all  the  community,  he 
was  most  ignorant  of  a  matter  which  was  skilfully 
and  carefully  hidden  from  him  by  the  persons  con- 
cerned, and  about  which  others  lacked  both  the 
courage  and  impertinence  to  enlighten  him.  Away 
from  his  home  all  day,  how  could  he  know  what  went 
on  during  his  absence  ?  As  to  his  wife's  conduct  in 
public  when  he  was  by,  he  had  too  long  and  painful 
an  acquaintance  with  her  usual  habits  and  manners 
to  be  surprised  or  startled  at  their  present  exhibition. 
The  smiling  lie  of  welcome  her  face  told  when  he 
entered  his  home,  her  more  than  accustomed  atten- 
tion to  his  comfort  and  pleasure,  lulled  him  deeper  in 
his  false  security. 

But  even  he  was  beginning  to  have  his  suspicions 
of  the  black  truth ;  dreading  that  this  was  something 
more  than  "Lucretia's  necessary  flirtation,"  as  he 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  bitterly  denominating  his 
wife's  constantly-changing  love-affairs,  which  he  had 
so  long  been  compelled  to  tolerate.  A  baffled  yet 
subtile  perception  of  the  truth  was  coming  over  the 
man ;  and  those  who  saw  him  and  his  wife  and  Regi- 


320  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

nald  together  saw  a  strange  shadow  growing  in  the 
husband's  face,  which  boded  ill  for  the  ease  and 
enjoyment  of  the  others. 

A  wretched  being  was  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale 
during  those  days,  with  an  awful  dread  at  his  heart 
which  he  could  neither  prove  nor  disprove.  To  in- 
terfere openly  might,  perhaps,  bring  causeless  public 
dishonor  upon  his  name  and  race ;  while  to  allow  the 
present  state  of  things  to  go  on  might  be  to  let 
shame  secretly  stain  his  hearth  and  home  forever. 
He  did  not  spare  words  to  his  wife  in  private :  he 
gave  her  terrible  warning.  But  the  shallow,  pleas- 
ure-loving woman  smiled  back  at  him  with  such 
careless,  serene  gayety,  that  his  doubts  seemed  for  the 
moment  ridiculous.  She  was  so  utterly  trivial,  that 
she  did  not  realize  any  pain  or  disaster  the  pressure  of 
which  was  not  then  upon  her.  She  lacked  the  sense 
to  recognize  her  danger,  as  she  needed  the  conscience 
and  delicacy  to  understand  her  degradation,  or  the 
intellect  to  comprehend  the  man  with  whom  she  was 
dealing. 

She  had  no  feeling  of  having  done  any  thing  spe- 
cially wrong :  she  had  merely  followed  her  natural 
instinct  and  impulse ;  and  any  slight  scruples  she 
had  hitherto  possessed  Reginald's  arguments  had  re- 
moved. The  truth  is,  it  is  possible  to  reason  one's 
self  into  any  thing  one  wishes  to  believe,  and  to  build 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  321 

up  a  strong  case  from  any  point  of  view.  For  this 
cause,  the  woman  or  man  who  deliberates  is  lost. 
When  they  leave  conscience,  which  feels,  for  intellect, 
which  thinks  and  devises,  the  result  is  really  won  by 
their  wishes.  Let  them  state  the  sum  to  their  own 
satisfaction,  and  the  answer  is  a  necessity.  Silly  as 
she  was,  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  could  have  made  you  a 
respectable  argument  on  the  subject  from  her  stand- 
point, gained  from  her  own  experience  and  her  com- 
petent teachers. 

"  Yes,"  laughed  Reginald  long  before,  when  some 
similar  person's  self-defence  was  being  commented 
upon,  "  the  arguments  of  such  women,  in  the  present 
state  of  society,  rather  remind  me  of  the  fox,  who, 
having  lost  his  tail,  tried  to  persuade  his  companions 
that  they  would  be  better  without  theirs.  His  tes- 
timony can  scarcely  be  taken  as  impartial,  and  his 
reasons  might  be  somewhat  biassed  by  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances." 

He  was  right.  Tempted  by  love  of  luxury,  by  their 
own  passions,  by  worldly  and  physical  gratification  in 
some  form,  they  sell  themselves  to  sin  for  the  payment 
they  covet ;  and,  having  irrevocably  placed  themselves 
in  a  position  from  which  they  can  never  recover,  they 
are  forced  to  search  diligently  for  some  justification 
in  their  own  eyes  and  the  eyes  of  others.  They  make 
the  most  difficult  of  all  attempts,  —  to  have  their 

14* 


822  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

cake,  and  eat  their  cake.  They  first  do  wrong,  and 
then  try  to  reason  it  into  being  right.  Such  an  effort 
is  like  the  witches'  habit  of  repeating  the  Lord's 
Prayer  backward :  it  raises  evil  spirits  instead  of  good 
ones ;  it  calls  up  the  powers  of  darkness  rather  than 
of  light.  Having  lost  forever  the  ability  to  come  up 
to  the  standard  of  others,  their  one  chance  is  to  drag 
that  standard  down  to  their  own  level.  They  are 
compelled  to  say,  "  Evil,  be  thou  my  good :  "  they  are 
forced  to  deify  their  false  god,  and  to  draw  as  many 
followers  as  possible  to  his  impure  worship.  The 
world  holds  women  of  genius  who  are  prostituting  it 
in  this  cause  as  they  have  previously  degraded  soul 
and  body.  Sinning  for  their  own  satisfaction,  they 
have  parted  with  the  power  of  choice,  and  by  necessity 
are  so  many  attorneys,  bound  to  argue  the  case  in  one 
way,  and  held  by  that  strongest  of  all  retainiug-fees, 
self-interest.  Of  such  persons,  as  of  all  sinful  men 
and  women,  Christ's  long-uttered  words  remain  eter- 
nally true :  "  This  is  their  condemnation,  that  light 
has  come  into  the  world ;  but  men  love  darkness 
rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil." 

"Whatever  were  Lloyd  Truxton's  manifold  weak- 
nesses and  falsities,  his  devotion  to  Reginald  was 
warm  and  genuine ;  and  he  felt  danger  in  the  air  for 
his  friend  as  a  faithful  dog  scents  a  foe  for  his  mas- 
ter, and  foresaw  the  coming  trouble  which  the  other 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  323 

really  did  not  perceive.  Reginald  had  outwitted  and 
outbraved  so  many  men,  that  he  could  scarcely  real- 
ize the  possibility  of  meeting  his  match,  and  so  lived 
gayly  on  in  confident  security. 

But  Lloyd  went  about  troubled  and  depressed, 
fearing  to  speak,  and  be  called  a  fool  for  his  pains, 
and  yet  scarcely  daring  not  to  give  some  warning  of 
what  seemed  so  evident  to  him. 

At  last,  one  night,  he  could  restrain  himself  no 
longer. 

It  was  very  late  ;  and  the  two  sat  by  themselves  in 
Reginald's  smoking-room,  —  the  only  persons  awake 
in  that  great  silent  house.  They  had  come  in  from  a 
ball,  where,  as  usual,  Reginald  and  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale 
had  been  "  the  observed  of  all  observers."  Lawrence 
Van  Arsdale  had  stood  quietly  by  and  watched  both ; 
but  it  was  with  a  look  dawning  in  his  face  which 
haunted  Lloyd  still,  the  influence  of  which  was  upon 
him  even  now  as  he  sat  in  that  cosey  room,  when  the 
music,  beauty,  brilliancy  of  color  and  light,  all  the 
striking  effects  of  the  evening,  had  passed  away. 

Reginald  had  come  in  flushed  and  excited,  and  had 
thrown  himself  upon  a  lounge,  with  his  cigar  in  his 
hand.  Lloyd  took  an  easy-chair  near  him,  and  began 
to  smoke  also.  Between  them  stood  a  table,  upon 
which  was  a  shaded  reading-lamp,  that  threw  its 
whole  light  down  upon  the  extended  figure  on  the 


324  •  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

couch,  revealing  in  full  its  magnificent  beauty  and 
strength.  As  Lloyd  looked,  there  suddenly  flashed 
upon  his  weak  brain  and  imagination,  not  merely  the 
man  he  saw,  but  the  man  he  had  seen.  Like  a  reve- 
lation, he  beheld  those  two  meeting  in  deadly  con- 
flict ;  and  the  picture  was  colored  in  blood. 

He  could  keep  back  his  words  no  longer. 

"  Reginald,"  he  said  hesitatingly,  "  I  saw  Van  Ars- 
dale  watching  you  to-night ;  and  upon  my  soul,  if 
you  had  seen  his  face,  it  would  have  made  you 
think  that  you  had  better  take  care." 

The  man  upon  the  sofa  slightly  raised  himself,  and 
looked  at  the  other  with  a  kind  of  splendid  sur- 
prise in  his  eyes. 

What  is  it  in  genuine  physical  courage  which  com- 
mands the  enthusiasm  and  respect  of  every  human 
being  ?  Is  it  that  the  majority  of  men  are  born  cow- 
ards, and  are  impressed  by  the  rarity  of  the  opposite 
extreme  ?  or  is  it  that  there  is  something  so  really 
noble  in  the  quality  which  we  share  with  the  ani- 
mals, that  we  cannot  resist  its  influence  ?  Be  this  as 
it  may,  Lloyd  had  never  had  such  a  boundless  admi- 
ration for  his  superior  as  when  he  saw  Reginald  gaz- 
ing at  him  with  a  sort  of  wonder,  pity,  and  contempt 
for  the  being  who  could  imagine  him  capable  of  fear. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  Reginald  said  at  last  in  his 
usual  soft  tones,  "  I  have  not  yet  added  personal 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  325 

cowardice  to  my  other  attractions,  and  I  have  no  in- 
tention of  so  doing.  If  Mr.  Van  Arsdale  wishes  to 
call  me  to  account,  I  am  quite  ready  at  any  and  all 
times.  I  can  say  for  myself,  that  I  have  always  been 
willing  to  pay  for  my  pleasures  ;  and  I  like  fairness 
in  all  things." 

He  had  resumed  his  easy,  full-length  position  by 
this  time,  and  was  indolently  smoking  as  he  indo- 
lently talked. 

"  I  know  that  I  am  not  supposed  to  have  cultivated 
the  moral  virtues  to  any  very  great  extent ;  but  I 
have  a  genuine  admiration  for  justice,  and  I  do  not 
consider  that  I  have  violated  it  in  this  case.  I  see 
no  reason  why  I  should  deny  myself  for  Lawrence 
Van  Arsdale's  sake.  I  know  just  what  he  is,  —  what 
his  life  has  been  both  at  home  and  abroad.  If  I  am 
the  chief  of  sinners  in  this  community,  he  has  done 
things  in  his  day  which  effectually  prevent  him  from 
being  my  judge.  The  difference  between  us  is 
merely  that  of  quantity,  not  of  quality." 

"Perhaps  he  has  never  looked  at  the  subject  in 
that  light,"  suggested  Lloyd. 

"  But  I  have,"  was  Reginald's  cool  rejoinder, 
"and  I  act  accordingly ;  and,  the  sooner  he  learns 
to  take  impartial  and  correct  views  of  himself  and 
others,  the  better.  Why,  apart  from  every  thing 
else,"  he  went  on,  growing  interested  in  what  he  was 


326  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

saying,  "  I  leave  it  to  any  one  whether  a  man  who 
has  voluntarily  and  delightedly  placed  himself  in  the 
society  of  women  who  have  deliberately  sold  them- 
selves for  luxury  can  possibly  have  any  genuine  dis- 
approval, disgust,  or  horror,  at  sin  in  itself.  Having 
found  such  women  charming  and  companionable, 
why  should  he  be  filled  with  sudden  virtuous  rage  at 
discovering  that  his  wife  merely  resembles  his  chosen 
friends  and  associates?  Sin  has  been  sweet  and 
luscious  enough  to  him  on  occasion  ;  and,  now  that 
his  position  in  the  affair  is  slightly  altered,  what  can 
his  moral  hysterics  mean  but  wounded  pride  and 
injured  vanity  ?  Upon  my  word,  I  cannot  see  that  it 
is  my  duty,  as  it  is  certainly  not  my  pleasure,  to  be 
over-careful  of  those  sentiments  in  any  one  but  my- 
self ;  "  and  he  laughed  pleasantly  as  he  spoke. 

"  Van  Arsdale  certainly  did  not  look  to-night  as 
though  any  one  were  being  very  considerate  of  his 
feelings  of  any  kind,"  said  Lloyd,  who  could  not  get 
that  haggard,  watching  face  out  of  his  mind.  "  He 
seemed  terribly  wretched." 

"  So  much  the  more  fool  he  ! "  returned  Reginald, 
"  when  he  has  had  all  these  years  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  what  was  inevitably  before  him  when  he 
married  such  a  woman,  after  setting  her  such  an 
example.  I  often  wonder  what  men's  intellects  can 
be  made  of  to  be  capable  of  such  self-delusion.  If 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  327 

Van  Arsdale  is  weak-minded'  and  selfish  enough  to 
wish  to  deprive  his  wife  of  the  sugar-plums  he  liked 
so  well  himself,  he  ought  never  to  have  married,  or, 
at  least,  should  have  chosen  a  woman  like  Christie ; 
though,  really,  where  he  would  have  found  her,  I 
cannot  imagine.  I  am  aware  that  my  wife  is  absurdly 
wasted  on  me,  and  that  it  is  a  thousand  pities  that 
some  of  those  gentlemen  with  morbidly  susceptible 
nerves  could  not  have  the  benefit  of  such  a  blessing," 
he  added,  as  he  reflectively  watched  the  blue  smoke 
curl  from  his  cigar. 

Lloyd  did  not  flatter  himself  that  Reginald's  flow 
of  words  was  meant  especially  for  him.  He  was 
used  to  that  gentleman's  habit  of  making  himself 
comfortable,  and  then  uttering  his  sentiments  for  his 
own  satisfaction,  as  he  was  now  doing.  The  younger 
man's  part  in  these  conversations  was  slightly  trying, 
as  he  was  always  under  the  apprehension  that  he 
should  misconceive  Reginald's  idea,  and  show  it  in 
his  reply.  Consequently  he  now  spoke  rather  hesi- 
tatingly as  he  said,  — 

"  Why,  you  can't  mean,  that,  if  Van  Arsdale  had 
been  a  different  man,  you  would  have  acted  differ- 
ently about  his  wife  ?  " 

Reginald  took  his  cigar  out  of  his  mouth,  and  sat 
straight  up  on  the  sofa  before  he  made  any  reply. 
There  was  something  so  much  like  honest  fire  and 


328  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

manly  earnestness  in  his  face,  and  in  the  way  in 
which  he  drew  up  his  splendid  head  and  person,  that 
Lloyd  gazed  at  him  in  surprise,  and,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, with  some  nervousness. 

"  I  swear  to  you,"  he  said,  and  the  whole  force  of 
the  man  seemed  to  go  into  the  tone,  "  that  if  my 
brother  Tom,  or  any  man  whom  I  knew  beyond  all 
doubt  to  be  like  him,  had  a  wife  who  was  Venus  and 
Juno  combined,  if  she  were  to  play  the  part  of 
Potiphar's  wife  to  me,  I  would  play  that  of  Joseph ; 
upon  my  soul  I  would !  and  would  feel  that  I  was 
only  doing  what  the  man  and  common  justice  alike 
had  a  right  to  demand  of  me.  But  the  occasion  has 
not  yet  arisen,  and  does  not  arise,  my  dear  boy,"  he 
added,  his  voice  changing  to  a  fine,  faint  sneer,  as  he 
returned  to  his  recumbent  posture  and  his  cigar. 

Lloyd  sat  for  a  moment  mute  with  astonishment, 
and  then,  rather  fearing  to  discuss  such  an  unex- 
pected statement,  wisely  preserved  the  same  silence 
a  little  longer.  Then  his  mind  went  back  to  the  one 
thought  and  dread  which  had  been  oppressing  him 
all  the  evening. 

"  It  is  terrible  to  think  how  much  trouble  women 
make  in  the  world,  and  how  little  real  goodness  and 
purity  there  is  among  them,"  he  said  presently,  shak- 
ing his  head  with  an  edifying  degree  of  moral  regret. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  answered  Reginald  with  ]azy 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  329 

sweetness,  "  don't  be  more  of  a  fool  than  you  can 
help.  When  most  men  criticise  women's  virtue  and 
shortcomings,  it  strongly  reminds  me  of  a  story  I 
once  heard  told  of  a  great  orator,  as  happening-at  an 
abolition  convention  a  long  while  ago.  A  man  with 
negro  blood  in  his  veins  had  arisen,  and  denounced 
Gen.  Washington  as  a  scoundrel  and  a  thief  for  own- 
ing slaves.  '  My  friend,'  returned  the  aforesaid  orator 
mildly,  '  I  would  not  use  those  epithets  in  that  con- 
nection, if  I  were  you.  It  isn't  graphic.  Because, 
if  you  call  Gen.  Washington  a  scoundrel,  what  have 
you  left  for  Franklin  Pierce  ?  '  Just  so,  my  dear  boy, 
if  you  call  women  hard  names  for  a  single  slip  or 
two,  what  have  you  left  for  yourself?  Why,  how 
many  have  you  ever  known,  not  actually  upon  the 
streets,  who  are  not,  by  strict  mathematics,  far  better 
than  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes !  but  women,  you  know,  women !  It's  so 
different,  you  know  !  "  Lloyd  cried  out  eagerly,  with 
his  usual  fine  coherence  and  logic. 

"  Why,  and  in  what  way  ?  "  asked  'Reginald  pleas- 
antly. 

"  Oh  !  you  know  very  well  what  I  mean.  I  can't 
explain  it  to  you  exactly." 

Reginald  laughed  softly. 

"  No ;  and  neither  can  any  one  else  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  I  am  afraid,  for  the  future,  we  have  got 


380  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

to  give  freedom,  as  well  as  take  it ;  that  liberty, 
equality,  and  fraternity  are  going  to  become  femi- 
nine as  well  as  masculine  nouns  ;  and  that  the  great 
text  and  battle-cry  for  the  next  generation  will  be 
the  old,  succinct  proverb,  that  what  is  sauce  for  the 
goose  is  sauce  for  the  gander.  I  fear  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  have  one  level  of  morality;  and,  as  I  do 
not  feel  prepared  to  be  very  good  myself,  I  have 
calmly  concluded  to  allow  them  to  be  very  bad." 

"  Yes,"  persisted  Lloyd;  " but  when  a  woman  does 
wrong  "  — 

"  It's  so  much  more  wrong  than  when  a  man  does 
it,"  cut  in  Reginald ;  and  his  delighted  laugh  rang  out 
like  a  bell  through  the  quiet  room.  "  Excuse  me :  I 
beg  your  pardon  for  laughing  at  you ;  but  I  really 
must  request  you  again  to  be  as  little  of  a  fool  as 
possible.  Your  ideas  of  right  and  wrong  seem  to  be 
movable  feasts  of  the  Church,  Lloyd,  and  to  be  amus- 
ingly influenced  by  circumstances.  You  remind  me 
of  those  of  our  own  countrymen  who  are  models  of 
respectability  at  home,  but  whose  morality,  as  soon 
as  they  cross  the  water  to  France,  seems,  in  Shak- 
speare's  words,  to  '  suffer  a  sea-change  into  some- 
'  thing  rich  and  strange.'  It  certainly  is  delightful  to 
see  the  way  in  which  human  nature  can  turn  and  twist 
and  wind  again,  and  fancy  itself  rather  a  fine  thing 
after  all. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  881 

And  his  infinite  enjoyment  of  the  thought  was 
such,  that  he  threw  away  the  end  of  his  cigar,  and, 
instead  of  taking  a  fresh  one,  fell  to  the  sole  occupa- 
tion of  contemplating  his  idea  of  humanity. 

Lloyd's  several  attempts  at  reply  and  explanation 
had  fallen  so  short  of  success,  that  he  scarcely  felt 
equal  to  another  effort  in  the  same  direction,  and  so 
did  not  immediately  break  the  silence. 

Presently  he  took  out  his  watch. 

"  Four  o'clock,"  he  announced  as  he  looked  at  it. 

"  Is  it  so  late,  or  rather  so  early  ?  "  said  Reginald, 
rising.  "  I  think  I  shall  go  to  bed.  Of  course,  there 
is  a  room  ready  for  you,  Lloyd,  if  you  want  it." 

"  No,  I  think  I  had  rather  go  home,  as  Ellen  will 
be  wondering  where  I  am." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  other,  and  went  with 
him  down  to  the  front-door  to  fasten  it  behind  him. 

As  they  stood  silent  upon  the  steps,  in  the  still 
night-air,  looking  up  at  the  quiet  stars  in  the  winter 
skies,  Lloyd  was  again  strangely  tempted  to  repeat 
his  words  of  warning ;  but  he  literally  had  not  the 
courage  to  do  so. 

"  Good-night !  "  he  said  instead,  and  went  his  way 
with  a  depression  of  heart  which  certainly  was  not  a 
selfish  emotion. 

Then  Reginald  passed  up  his  broad  stairway  to  his 
bedroom,  untroubled  by  fear,  care,  shame,  or  sorrow. 


332  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

He  had  merely  followed  the  instincts  and  teachings 
of  a  perfect  physical  organization  and  an  acute  un- 
derstanding ;  and  these  had  logically  brought  him  to 
the  religion  of  self-love  and  the  philosophy  of  a  good 
dinner.  This  creed  satisfying  his  soulless  nature,  he 
lived  up  to  its  limits,  undisturbed  by  doubt  or  dread. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

MRS.  LESTER  had  the  fortune,  good  or  bad, 
to  live  in  a  house  whose  rear  commanded  a 
near  view  of  the  back  of  the  residence  of  the  Van 
Arsdales.  In  the  early  glory  of  the  friendship  be- 
tween the  ladies,  this  proximity  was  the  cause  of 
constant  intercourse.  They  were  continually  paying 
each  other  little  visits  to  fill  up  their  idle  moments ; 
and,  if  they  wished,  could  telegraph  intelligence  from 
their  nearest  windows. 

This  state  of  things  went  on  very  pleasantly  for  a 
few  weeks ;  but  by  that  time  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  had 
become  the  decided  belle  of  the  season,  and  had 
small  leisure  to  waste  upon  any  thing  belonging  to 
the  feminine  gender. 

Mrs.  Lester  had  striven  hard  to  keep  up  the  inti- 
macy, pursuing  her  usual  policy  of  attaching  herself 
to  some  woman  who  was  usually  surrounded  by  men, 
and  trusting  to  chance  and  her  own  skill  to  secure 
such  stragglers  as  could  not  reach  the  original  at- 
traction. 

333 


334  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

But  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  had  her  own  share  of  femi- 
nine instinct  whenever  her  power  and  fascinations 
were  in  question.  Whatever  sense  she  possessed 
had  been  long  and  diligently  applied  to  the  subject ; 
and  upon  this  particular  ground  she  was  quite  able 
to  cope  with  Mrs.  Lester.  She  had  no  idea  of  ruling 
even  a  slightly  divided  kingdom,  of  drawing  men 
together  for  another  woman  to  secure,  of  making 
conquests  for  some  one  else  to  enjoy :  above  all,  she 
carefully  avoided  the  danger  of  having  some  one  near 
her  who  would  partially  paralyze  the  effect  of  her 
beauty  by  emphasizing,  through  contrast,  her  mental 
inferiority. 

Consequently,  their  mutual  devotion  fell  with 
alarming  rapidity  into  the  sear  and  yellow  leaf,  then 
quickly  died. 

When  Mrs.  Lester  called,  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  was 
very  apt  to  be  "  not  at  home,"  even  though  the  for- 
mer lady  had,  from  her  post  of  observation,  become 
aware  that  other  visitors  had  been  admitted  but  a 
few  moments  before.  The  ladies  preserved  their  out- 
ward familiarity,  and  "my  deared"  each  other  as 
usual,  when  they  met  in  society ;  but  each  under- 
stood that  there  was  now  no  love  lost  between  them. 
Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  was  so  trivial-natured,  that  even 
anger  and  dislike  were  with  her  only  passing  spite- 
fulness  :  and  she  forgot  her  enmities  and  enemies  as 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  335 

soon  as  the  latter  were  out  of  her  sight ;  they,  like  all 
other  considerations,  being  swallowed  up  in  her  self- 
indulgence  and  enjoyment  of  the  present  pleasure. 

But  Mrs.  Lester  hoarded  her  wrath  and  disappoint- 
ment, to  be  faithfully  repaid  to  their  cause  at  the 
earliest  opportunity.  She  awaited  her  chance,  con- 
fident that  occasion  would  arise  upon  which  she  could 
strike  a  telling  blow.  Justice  requires  one  to  admit, 
that,  in  the  mean  time,  she  did  not  neglect  any  minor 
advantage  towards  the  same  end,  but  did  Mrs.  Van 
Arsdale  all  the  harm  she  could  in  a  small  way  ;  pur- 
suing her  policy  of  injuring  each  person  whom  she 
had  failed  to  utilize  for  her  own  purposes. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale  played 
into  her  opponent's  hand  with  terrible  recklessness  ; 
and,  for  once  in  her  life,  Mrs.  Lester  found  her  talent 
for  misrepresentation  and  slander  an  almost  unneces- 
sary weapon  in  her  peculiar  warfare.  It  was  a  case 
in  which  truth  was  stranger  than  fiction,  and  facts 
more  damning  than  falsehoods  could  be  made. 

When  Reginald's  pursuit  of  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale 
became  open,  and  all  society  was  talking  of  the  liai- 
son, Mrs.  Lester  felt  that  her  wished-for  chance  had 
arrived.  From  her  windows  she  could  not  only 
watch  the  house,  but,  unless  the  curtains  were  care- 
fully closed,  could  perceive  much  that  went  on 
inside ;  thereby  learning  far  more  of  the  doings  of 


336  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

Lawrence  Van  Arsdale's  household  at  all  times  than 
that  unfortunate  gentleman  dreamed  of  knowing  at 
any  period.  As  the  intrigue  went  on,  she  followed 
the  portion  of  it  which  she  could  witness,  gleefully 
and  greedily ;  forming  a  chain  of  dark  evidence  and 
inference  so  strong,  that  the  case  would  probably 
have  held  even  in  a  court  of  law.  She  sat  at  her 
post  of  lookout,  like  Sister  Anne  in  her  watch-tower, 
for  hours  together.  Behind  some  one  of  her  win- 
dows she  was  almost  sure  to  be  seated  during  a  large 
portion  of  the  day,  waiting  for  that  which  chance 
might  bring  to  her  sight.  It  showed  her  Reginald 
entering  the  house  at  all  hours  ;  and  it  displayed  to 
her  many  of  his  actions  while  in  it.  She  gloated 
over  her  surveillance  of  the  guilty  pair,  and  revelled 
in  the  loathsome  work  which  gratified  every  passion 
of  her  nature.  She  kept  most  of  her  knowledge  to 
herself,  accumulating  evidence,  that  it  might  fall 
with  more  crushing  weight  at  the  appropriate  time. 
However,  from  her  emanated  most  of  the  rumors 
with  which  society  was  rife ;  though  she  took  care 
that  the  reports  should  never  be  traced  to  their  ori- 
ginal source. 

At  last  she  had  collected  such  proofs  as  left  small 
doubt  of  their  sin ;  as  almost  forced  conviction  on  the 
most  sceptical  mind.  Feeling  now  quite  sure  of  her 
ground,  she  resolved  to  act ;  to  bring  matters  to  that 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  337 

climax  for  the  sight  of  which  her  soul  thirsted.  She 
belonged  to  that  class  of  women  with  which  the 
anonymous  letter  —  that  certain  refuge  of  cowardly 
malice  —  must  surely  have  originated ;  and  it  was  with 
this  weapon  that  she  instinctively  resolved  to  fight. 

The  task  before  her  was  in  every  way  congenial 
with  her  tastes  and  abilities.  She  had  to  state  a  case, 
and  put  the  corroborating  testimony  in  such  a  form 
as  to  compel  belief  in  those  whom  she  addressed. 
She  had  to  make  evident  that  of  which  there  could 
be  no  positive  certainty ;  to  lead  up  so  closely  to  final 
facts,  that  they  were  a  simple  necessity.  Her  hard, 
practical  shrewdness  exactly  fitted  her  for  the  under- 
taking ;  and  she  accomplished  it  as  well  as  a  second- 
rate  criminal  lawyer  could  have  done,  or  rather  as  his 
clerk  who  had  long  been  trained  to  do  dirty  work. 

She  sat  at  her  desk  over  the  draft  of  the  letter, 
altering,  condensing,  and  rewriting,  until  she  had  a 
short,  succinct  document,  every  word  of  which  went 
straight  to  the  intended  mark.  She  had  devoted  an 
afternoon  and  evening  to  the  task ;  but,  when  she 
read  it  over  in  its  final  form,  she  sat  back  in  her 
chair  with  a  triumphant  feeling  of  conscious  merit, 
and  a  sense  of  time  well  spent.  Then  she  applied 
herself  to  making  two  fair  copies  in  a  well-disguised 
hand ;  an  undertaking  which  her  previous  practice  hi 
the  art  rendered  easy. 

15 


338  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

She  was  thus  engaged  when  her  husband  entered. 
She  had  wisely  taken  no  one  into  her  confidence, 
fearing  to  increase  the  chances  of  detection;  and, 
indeed,  her  husband  was  the  last  person  she  ever 
honored  with  a  knowledge  of  her  secret  sentiments 
and  private  projects.  But  not  on  this,  or  any  other 
occasion,  was  she  afraid  of  that  disciplined  gentle- 
man displaying  any  undue  curiosity,  or  pushing  his 
inquiries  to  an  inconvenient  length.  She  went 
quietly  on  with  her  occupation ;  and  when,  after  a 
little  while,  Mr.  Lester  said  in  his  heavy  way,  — 

"  What  are  you  so  busy  over,  Marian  ?  "  she  an- 
swered calmly,  — 

"  I  am  writing  letters." 

"  You  seem  to  require  a  great  deal  of  paper  to  do 
it,"  he  remarked,  by  way  of  a  ponderous  joke,  as  he 
looked  at  the  sheets  scattered  over  her  table. 

"  Yes,  I  want  to  make  them  as  interesting  as  possi- 
ble," she  rejoined  coolly.  And  then  she  gave  her 
usual  cackle  of  delight  over  her  own  thoughts  and 
the  pictures  they  brought  up,  without  the  least  dread 
of  piquing  his  curiosity.  The  well-trained  gentle- 
man subsided  into  his  newspaper ;  and  Mrs.  Lester 
went  on  with  her  work. 

It  was  soon-  completed ;  and,  gathering  up  the  loose 
sheets,  she  locked  them  carefully  away  in  her  desk, 
and  went  to  bed  a  contented  woman. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  389 

She  was  up  by  sunrise  the  next  morning.  Going 
back  to  her  desk,  she  took  from  it  two  papers.  Put- 
ting them  into  envelopes,  she  addressed  one  to  "  Mrs. 
Reginald  Archer,"  and  the  other  to  "  Mr.  Lawrence 
Van  Arsdale ;  "  directing  them  to  the  residence  of 
each.  These  she  placed  in  her  pocket,  and,  putting  on 
a  bonnet  and  thick  veil,  went  out  for  an  early  walk. 
Reaching  the  poorer  portion  of  the  town,  where  she 
was  unknown,  she  dropped  her  letters  into  a  street- 
box,  and  then  made  her  way  swiftly  home,  to  appear 
at  the  breakfast-table  in  such  unwonted  spirits  and 
appetite,  that  she  felt  called  upon  to  explain  them 
by  expatiating  on  the  benefits  of  keeping  good  hours 
over  night.' 

All  day  she  waited  in  the  same  restless  excite- 
ment for  the  results  of  her  stroke. 

She  knew  the  hour  at  which  the  letters  would 
arrive  at  their  destinations ;  but,  when  they  would 
reach  the  persons  for  whom  they  were  intended,  she 
could  not  tell,  as  a  hundred  small  chances  might 
intervene  to  delay  that  event.  She  sincerely  hated 
nearly  every  one  of  the  individuals  upon  whom  she 
hoped  to  bring  ruin  ;  and  the  neatness  and  complete- 
ness, the  circular  character,  of  her  revenge,  charmed 
her.  She  smiled  to  find  herself  humming  from  the 
French  opera,  — 

"  Je    vois   tout,  je  sais  tout"  —  and  then  fairly 


340  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

hugged  herself  with  pleasure  to  think  how  true  was 
the  quotation  in  this  instance. 

She  could  not  remain  within  doors,  but  went  out, 
ostensibly  on  a  shopping-expedition,  but  really  to 
fill  up  the  time  with  some  sort  of  motion.  But  she 
returned  at  evening  unsatisfied  and  eager ;  for  all 
was  quiet,  and  not  even  a  rumor  of  trouble  had  yet 
stirred  society. 

Her  impatience  was  almost  intolerable.  Yet  there 
was  small  need  for  her  to  wish  to  hasten  the  events 
of  the  next  few  hours ;  for  the  catastrophe  she  had 
invoked  was  coming  surely  and  swiftly  enough,  God 
knows. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

ON  the  morning  of  that  day,  Christie  sat  in  her 
room,  quietly  reading.  For  the  past  month  or 
two,  she  had  lived,  as  it  were,  in  a  thick,  black  cloud 
of  doubt.  Its  impalpable  influence  surrounded  her 
at  all  times.  She  breathed  it  with  the  air ;  it  min- 
gled with  the  food  she  ate  ;  and  sleep  itself  coul.d  not 
dissolve  its  power.  Turn  which  way  she  would, 
dark  shadows  rose,  which  she  could  no  more  reduce 
to  fixed  form  than  she  could  overcome  them  or 
drive  them  away.  It  was  the  intangibility  of  that 
which  oppressed  her  which  paralyzed  her.  She 
could  literally  do  nothing ;  for  she  shrank  from  bring- 
ing open  shame  upon  her  husband,  and  its  reflection 
upon  herself,  by  acting  upon  what  might  possibly  be 
a  mistaken  suspicion. 

The  woman's  delicate  pride  made  it  almost  like 
death  to  think  of  inviting  the  world  to  entertain  it- 
self with  the  spectacle  of  her  grief  and  dishonor. 
Above  all,  conscience  held  her  in  her  place,  though 
almost  every  instinct  and  passion  cried  out  to  her  to 

341 


342  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

desert  it.  She  sank  down  into  a  dull  endurance,  which 
was  as  helpless  as  it  was  hopeless  of  happiness. 

Yet  she  felt  that  this  state  of  things  could  not  con- 
tinue, that  she  could  not  endure  it,  and  that  an  end 
must  come  by  some  means ;  and,  while  she  filled  up 
her  days  with  mechanically -performed  duties,  she 
waited  with  forewarning  instinct  for  the  moment  and 
the  circumstance  which  should  cause  the  breaking 
of  the  cloud  upon  her  devoted  head. 

That  moment  and  that  circumstance  had  arrived. 

The  postman's  quick  ring  was  heard ;  then  the  ser- 
vant's leisurely  step  ascending  the  stairway. 

"  What  is  it,  George  ?  "  she  asked  as  he  stood  at 
the  door. 

"  A  letter  for  you,  ma'am,"  he  answered,  and, 
handing  it  to  her,  left  the  room. 

Christie  glanced  at  the  large,  coarse  envelope  and 
unknown  handwriting,  and  concluded  that  some 
tradesman's  account  was  within.  She  opened  it  care- 
lessly, and  found,  to  her  surprise,  a  page  of  foolscap 
covered  with  the  same  straggling  penmanship.  Her 
next  idea  was  that  it  was  a  petition  for  charity ;  and, 
as  such,  she  began  to  read  it. 

As  she  did  so,  there  came  a  growing  whiteness  in 
her  face,  and  a  sickening  horror  at  her  heart,  which 
made  actual  death  seem  very,  very  near. 

She  went  steadily  on  to  the  end,  and  then  laid  the 


*** 

REGINALD   ARCHER.  343 

paper  down  beside  her  without  a  sound  or  a  move- 
ment. Her  fears  and  doubts  had  become  certainties : 
that  which  she  had  previously  suspected  she  now 
knew ;  and  not  only  she,  but  all  the  world  beside. 
Her  wild  longing  to  die,  to  escape  from  the  sin  and 
misery  and  falsity  which  crushed  her  on  every  side, 
swallowed  up  all  other  sensations.  Utterly  defeated 
in  the  battle  of  life,  only  let  her  pass  out  of  exist- 
ence, and  at  last  be  at  rest.  Broken  heart,  lost  faith, 
and  shattered  life,  —  what  was  there  left  for  her  in 
the  wide  world  ? 

To  think  of  her  husband  was  to  think  of  one  sep- 
arated from  her  by  worse  than  death.  His  house 
was  no  longer  her  home :  every  hour  she  remained 
near  him  and  under  his  roof  was  a  stain  upon  her 
purity  and  a  disgrace  to  her ; .  for  this  clear-sighted, 
high-hearted  woman  felt  her  degradation  just  as  a 
man  would  have  felt  it,  and  held  a  complaisant  wife 
to  be  as  sinful  and  shameful  an  object  as  a  complai- 
sant husband.  She  must  go,  and  that  instantly. 

Yet  whither,  and  to  whom,  could  she  turn  for  pro- 
tection ? 

Motherless,  fatherless,  and  almost  friendless,  in  the 
midst  of  her  wealth  and  splendor  a  sense  of  despera- 
tion came  over  the  delicate,  gently-nurtured  woman, 
as  she  realized  how  alone  she  was,  and  how  unequal 
to  going  out  into  the  world  and  facing  it. 


344  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  Whether  we  meet,  or  whether  we  part,  remember 
my  promise  to  be  your  faithful  brother  if  you  ever 
need  me."  Tom's  words,  spoken  months  before  in 
that  house,  seemed  suddenly  to  sound  in  her  ears; 
came  back  to  her  with  such  vivid  force,  that  she  could 
scarcely  believe  they  had  not  been  uttered  by  a  living 
voice. 

She  started  to  her  feet. 

Yes,  she  would  go  to  him,  —  to  the  one  man  whom 
she  knew  to  be  absolutely  pure,  faithful,  and  honest ; 
who  had  striven  to  save  her  from  this  very  agony, 
and,  failing,  had  given  her  his  pledge  for  this  very 
hour  of  trial.  If  he  deceived  her,  then  indeed  all 
would  be  lost,  and  she  could  at  least  die. 

The  whiteness  was  still  upon  her  face  to  the  very 
lips,  and  the  large  eyes  were  almost  weird  in  their 
blank  darkness ;  and,  as  she  moved  silently  about 
the  room,  it  was  with  that  strange  quietude  of 
motion  which  we  involuntarily  use  when  Death  has 
entered  our  home,  and  filled  it  with  his  awful  pres- 
ence. 

She  took  up  the  letter,  and  laid  it  upon  the  dress- 
ing-table, where  it  could  not  be  overlooked.  It 
would  sufficiently  explain  her  action  to  Reginald,  if, 
indeed,  he  needed  any  explanation.  For  a  moment, 
she  gazed  down  at  the  writing  which  had  wrought 
this  work ;  and  then,  God  help  her !  there  came  into 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  345 

her  heart,  above  its  agony  and  shame  and  loathing 
horror,  —  or  rather  sprang  from  them,  —  some  such 
feeling  as  that  with  which  a  slave  must  regard  his 
freedom-papers,  or  those  Roman  criminals  bound  to 
decaying  corpses  may  have  looked  upon  the  instru- 
ment which  severed  their  chains.  Yes,  free  at  last 
from  that  bondage  to  which  duty  and  conscience"  had 
held  her  with  their  resistible  power  ;  separated  at 
last  from  that  sinful  life  with  which  hers  had  seemed 
irrevocably  interlocked. 

She  put  on  her  bonnet  and  shawl,  and  walked  to 
the  door  of  the  room. 

There  she  turned,  and  looked  back  into  the  apart- 
ment. A  strange,  solemn  quietude  fell  upon  her  as 
she  did  so  ;  for  she  realized  that  it  was  the  symbol  of 
her  whole  present  existence,  and  that  she  was  part- 
ing from  it  forever.  She  lingered  a  moment  or  two 
on  the  threshold,  and  then  came  softly  back. 

Kneeling  down  at  the  bedside,  she  slowly  whis- 
pered that  prayer  which  Maria  had  made  her  repeat 
upon  her  wedding-day ;  that  awful  appeal,  —  "Our 
Father  which  art  in  heaven,"  —  which  frail  human 
lips  may  well  hesitate  to  take  upon  them.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  her  God,  and  weighing  the  searching  mean- 
ing of  the  words  as  she  spoke  them,  she  said,  "  For- 
give us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  tres- 
pass against  us." 

15* 


346  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

It  was  the  act  of  a  pure,  righteous  woman,  striv- 
ing, as  for  her  soul's  salvation,  -to  fulfil  to  the  utter- 
most the  law  of  Christ  and  the  highest  law  of  her 
nature ;  but  I  hold  it  to  be  a  deed  impossible  in  a 
woman  whose  love  and  respect  for  her  husband  had 
survived  until  that  hour,  and  had  then  and  there 
died  a  violent  death.  In  the  wild  forces  which  would 
have  maddened  and  torn  asunder  such  a  soul,  God 
and  forgiveness  could  find  little  place  at  that  mo- 
ment, however  fully  they  might  regain  their  holy 
supremacy  in  the  long,  sad,  coming  years  of  struggle 
and  self-conquest.  True  and  noble  as  Christie  was, 
I  believe  it  to  have  been  as  much  the  absence  of  hu- 
man love  as  the  presence  of  divine  affection  which 
rendered  her  capable  of  then  performing  this  highest 
act  of  religion  and  faith,  of  Christianity  and  human- 
ity. The  story  of  the  past — the  manner  in  which 
all  devotion  to  her  husband,  trust  in  him,  and  hope 
of  better  things  from  him,  had  been  literally  mur- 
dered out  of  her  —  was  told  by  the  possibility  of  that 
quiet,  simple  forgiveness,  as  nothing  else  on  earth 
could  have  uttered  it.  The  woman's  pardon  seemed 
almost  to  render  pardon  from  a  just  and  righteous 
God  impossible.  Reginald  Archer's  moral  death-sen- 
tence appeared  written  in  that  wrathless  renuncia- 
tion. The  woman  who  had  loved  him  until  then 
would  then  have  hated  him  ;  and  he  had  stricken  and 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  347 

ground  the  power  out  of  Christie  to  do  either  the 
one  or  the  other.  When,  at  the  great  judgment-day, 
Reginald  Archer  comes  to  stand  at  the  bar  of  his 
Maker  to  give  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body,  I  hold,  that,  of  all  his  sins,  the  most  damning 
will  be,  that  he  coolly  and  systematically  made  it 
possible  for  such  a  woman  to  accord  him  such  forgive- 
ness at  such  a  moment. 

She  rose  from  her  knees,  went  down  the  stairway, 
and  out  of  the  house. 

Tom  Archer  was  sitting  in  his  private  counting- 
room,  where  he  was  always  to  be  found  at  that  hour, 
so  busily  engaged  at  his  writing-desk,  that  he  scarcely 
noticed  a  knock  at  the  door  behind  him.  It  was  re- 
peated before  he  said  carelessly,  — 

"  Come  in  !  " 

He  recognized  his  clerk's  step,  and  did  not  turn 
round  until  he  heard  the  man  say,  — 

"  Mr.  Archer,  here  is  a  lady  who  wishes  to  see 
you." 

Tom  glanced  over  his  shoulder  as  he  quickly  rose, 
and  saw  a  small,  graceful  figure  standing  by  the  door. 
A  veil  was  over  the  face ;  but  there  was  little  need  to 
tell  him  whose  was  the  pretty,  delicate  form.  All 
the  blood  in  his  body  seemed  to  leap  to  his  heart. 

"Christie !  "  he  cried  out,  "Christie  !  " 

There  was  a  light  in  his  face,  and  an  irrepressible 


348  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

throb  of  joy  in  his  voice,  which  must  have  told  her 
the  truth,  had  not  the  woman's  thoughts  been  far 
away  from  any  dream  of  love  and  happiness.  It  had 
been  so  very  long  since  he  had  seen  her,  and  this 
meeting  had  come  upon  him  so  suddenly,  that  it  shook 
his  seU>control  further  than  he  knew.  He  came 
hurriedly  forward  to  greet  her  with  outstretched 
hands;  but  she  stood  perfectly  motionless  until  the 
clerk  had  closed  the  door  upon  himself. 

Then,  just  before  Tom  reached  her,  she  lifted  her 
veil,  and,  showing  her  white  face,  looked  at  him  with 
her  terribly  altered  eyes. 

"  My  God  I "  cried  the  man's  shocked  voice  as  he 
stopped  short,  "  what  is  it  ? '' 

But,  even  as  he  spoke,  the  whole  truth  flashed  upon 
him. 

"  Tom,  do  you  remember  your  promise  to  be  my 
brother  when  I  needed  you  ?  I  am  here  to  claim  it ; 
for  that  time  has  come." 

The  voice  was  very  low,  but  held  perfectly  steady. 

Tom  came  forward,  and  taking  the  little  hands  in 
one  of  his,  and  laying  the  other  upon  them,  looked 
quietly  down  at  her  with  his  strong,  true  eyes.  He 
made  no  other  answer ;  but  surely  none  was  needed. 

"  Tom,  Tom  !  "  the  woman's  quivering  voice  cried, 
" you  are  all  I  have  in  the  world  now;  "  and  she  sank 
upon  her  knees  before  him  in  an  agony  of  weeping. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  349 

Tom  caught  her  up,  and  placed  her  upon  the 
lounge  just  at  hand. 

With  his  unutterable  wrath  against  the  false  hus- 
band raging  at  his  heart,  and  his  inexpressible  love 
for  the  weeping  woman  fighting  for  mastery  over 
every  iota  of  his  nature,  he  remembered,  even  at 
that  moment,  that  she  was  another  man's  wife.  He 
could  not  give  her  the  calm,  soothing,  brotherly 
caresses  natural  in  her  tried  friend  and  near  relation 
under  such  circumstances ;  and  he  would  give  her 
no  other.  It  would  be  nothing,  or  all,  as  he  well 
knew;  and  he  held  back  his  immeasurable  love 
through  its  very  might. 

He  did  not  touch  her  again,  but,  when  the  first 
nervous  violence  of  her  sobbing  had  spent  itself,  bent 
over"  her,  and  spoke  with  the  exquisite  gentleness  and 
tenderness  he  would  have  used  to  a  delicate,  sick 
child  whom  he  was  soothing. 

"  I  am  going  to  take  you  home  to  Maria,"  he  said. 

"Yes,"  she  answered  quickly.  "I  can  never  go 
back  to  him,  Tom ;  never  see  him  again !  " 

"No,"  Tom  replied  quietly,  but  with  a  curious 
hardening  around  his  mouth.  "Nor  I,  either;  so 
help  me  God !  "  he  mentally  added. 

And  yet  how  soon  they  would  both  break  that 
vow !  —  how  terribly  soon  ! 

Tom  went  out  for  a  moment  to  send  for  a  carriage, 


350  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

and,  returning,  drew  Christie's  shawl  around  her,  and 
dropped  her  veil  over  her  face,  before  leading  her  to 
the  vehicle.  Over  and  beyond  his  tender  care  and 
consideration  for  her,  there  had  come  into  his  manner 
a  delicate,  added  deference,  which  put  a  fine  distance 
between  them.  Wearing  the  crown  of  helplessness 
and  sorrow,  she  had  become  to  him  almost  as  a 
queen,  and  he  her  humble  and  loyal  servant.  Above 
all,  it  greatly  behooved  his  honor,  that,  placed  as 
she  was,  no  shade  of  reflection  should  fall  upon  her 
through  even  momentary  lack  of  care  on  his  part. 

As  they  passed  through  the  office,  the  clerks  in  it 
wondered  who  the  lady  could  be  whom  Mr.  Archer 
was  handing  out  with  such  grave  courtesy. 

"  Upon  my  word,  when  he  chooses,  he  can  be  as 
grand  and  elegant  as  his  magnificent  brother  Regi- 
nald," said  one  of  them,  quite  expressing  the  senti- 
ment of  the  whole  party. 

Entering  the  carriage,  Tom  and  Christie  drove  in 
sad  silence  to  the  house  from  which  she  had  gone 
forth  upon  her  disastrous  marriage-day  to  return  in 
far  worse  than  widowhood. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

IT  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night  when  Lawrence 
Van  Arsdale  entered  his  home  for  the  first  time 
since  his  solitary  breakfast ;  at  which  Mrs.  Van  Ars- 
dale was,  as  usual,  much  too  fatigued  by  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  previous  night's  ball  to  assist.  The 
parlors  were  dark;  and  evidently  no  one  was  at 
home. 

"  Where  is  your  mistress  ?  "  he  asked  of  the  servant 
who  opened  the  door. 

The  man,  who  knew  far  more  of  his  master's  affairs 
and  position  than  did  that  master  himself,  and  who 
could  have  given  him  some  startling  information, 
glanced  furtively  up,  and  then,  looking  down,  an- 
swered demurely,  — 

"  She's  gone  to  the  opera,  sir." 

"Whom  did  she  go  with?"  inquired  the  gentle- 
man quickly. 

"  Mr.  Archer,  sir ;  he  took  dinner  here,"  the  ser- 
vant returned  with  perfectly  disciplined  voice  and 
manner. 

351 


352  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

Mr.  Van  Arsdale  ground  something  like  a  bitter 
oath  between  his  teeth,  of  which  the  domestic  was 
decorously  oblivious.  This  household  had  long  since 
come  to  such  a  pass,  that  the  attempt  to  keep  its 
dissensions  from  the  sight  and  knowledge  of  the  ser- 
vants had  almost  ceased  ;  and  many  a  fierce  outbreak 
between  husband  and  wife  upon  matters  important 
and  unimportant  did  these  apparently  passive  beings 
calmly  witness. 

The  gentleman  went  into  his  library.  The  ser- 
vant turned  up  the  gas  ;  mended  the  dying  fire,  which 
the  late  spring  evenings  still  rendered  pleasant ;  and 
left  the  apartment. 

Throwing  himself  into  a  chair,  Mr.  Van  Arsdale 
sat  blankly  staring  into  the  flame,  that  leaped  and 
smouldered,  and  then  leaped  up  again,  and  burnt  with 
a  fierce,  eager  intensity.  The  fiery  light  which  flick- 
ered over  his  face  found  something  there  akin  to 
itself.  The  circumstance  he  had  just  heard  awoke 
afresh,  as  Reginald  Archer's  very  name  had  power  to 
do,  his  dark  distrust  of  him  and  of  his  wife.  Now, 
as  always,  racked  by  suspicion,  he  yet  shirked  the 
confirmation  of  his  own  instinctive  perception,  turn- 
ing with  sickening  recoil  from  such  a  truth  until  it 
should  be  thrust  upon  him.  With  hands  bound  by 
the  dread  of.,  openly  blasting  his  home  and  name, 
except  upon  one  last  necessity,  he  remained  passive 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  353 

and  helpless  ;  but  his  forced  inaction  seemed  to  feed 
the  smothered  fire,  the  dumb  anger,  within  him. 
His  long  restraint  and  almost  wilful  blindness  would 
surely  demand  their  re-actionary  price,  were  his  doubt 
to  become  a  certainty. 

He  had  been  sitting  thus  perhaps  half  an  hour, 
when  the  servant  re-entered.  Mr.  Van  Arsdale 
rose  hurriedly,  with  some  idea  that  his  wife  had 
returned. 

"  I  forgot  to  give  you  this  letter^  sir ;  it  came  this 
morning,"  the  man  said,  handing  him  just  such  a 
coarse  envelope  as  had  reached  Christie  hours  before. 

Slowly,  half  mechanically,  the  gentleman  broke  the 
enclosure,  and  glanced  at  its  contents.  Suddenly 
the  sight  of  his  wife's  name,  and,  beside  it,  that  of 
Reginald  Archer,  fixed  his  attention ;  and  he  began 
in  earnest  to  read  the  paper  in  his  hand. 

The  change  that  came  over  him  made  the  servant, 
lingering  in  vague  curiosity,  shrink  before  him  in  ter- 
ror. If  sullen  rage  had  possessed  that  face,  what 
was  in  it  now  ?  If  a  thirst  for  blood  and  vengeance 
had  been  growing  there,  what  words  could  describe 
it  at  this  moment?  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale,  the 
small  man  with  the  pale,  square  face,  and  quiet, 
steel-gray  eyes,  had  disappeared ;  and  a  madman 
stood  in  his  place,  in  his  immeasurable  wrath  and 
power.  Then  he  caught  hold  of  the  mantle-piece  in, 


351  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

his  mighty  effort  to  control  his  faculties,  which  were 
slipping  away  from  him ;  while  he  opened  his  parched 
lips,  striving  to  gain  the  breath  that  seemed  almost 
gone  from  them  forever. 

But  his  self-containment",  and  his  habit  of  acting 
upon  his  determination,  ruled  him  even  then.  After 
a  brief  space  of  time,  he  walked  out  of  the  room,  and 
straight  to  his  wife's  chamber. 

No  trace  of  his  past  wavering  now,  but  in  its 
place  a  mad  desire>  to  know  the  worst,  and  to  face  it 
to  the  uttermost.  Instinct  led  him  to  this  room  in 
his  search  for  proof  of  the  damning  truth  or  lie. 
Glancing  round  the  apartment  in  his  undetermined 
course,  he  caught  sight  of  a  little  cabinet,  which,  it 
flashed  upon  him,  she  always  kept  locked. 

He  tried  to  force  it  open,  but  failed.  , 

The  reckless  woman,  silly  even  in  her  sin,  had 
thrown  down  her  keys,  among  other  things,  upon  a 
table  so  near,  that  he  saw  them,  and  took  the  one 
he  needed. 

Within  the  drawers  he  found  —  with  a  character- 
istic collection  of  soiled  gloves,  faded  bouquets,  bro- 
ken fans,  and  similar  womanish  relics  —  a  quantity 
of  notes  and  letters  from  numberless  men/such  as 
would  have  bowed  any  honorable  man  in  the  dust 
with  shame,  even  had  "he  known  that  his  wife  had 
stopped  short  of  what  is  called  criminality. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  8-55 

But  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale  threw  these  aside  ;  for 
they  were  not  what  he  sought. 

At  last,  in  a  place  by  themselves,  he  came  upon 
some  scraps  of  writing  signed  "  R ; "  and  he  knew 
instinctively  that  he  had  reached  his  object. 

Without  stating  in  terms  the  black  truth,  the  notes 
implied  so  clearly  the  guilty  connection  between  his 
wife  and  the  writer,  that  any  faint  hope  or  doubt  to 
which  he  might  have  clung  died  instantly. 

His  hand  still  held  the  papers,  when  there  came  a 
sound  of  the  opening  front-door,  and  the  soft  tones 
and  laughter  of  a  brief,  merry  parting ;  then  he 
heard  his  wife's  quick,  light  footfall  upon  the  stair- 
way. Little  dreaming  of  what  she  was  hastening  to, 
the  lady  was  gayly  singing  a  fragment  from  the  opej-a, 
in  imitation  of.  the  prima  donna  to  whom  she  had 
just  been  listening.  In  another  moment  she  stood  in 
the  doorway,  with  the  very  smile  with  which  she  had 
parted  from  Reginald  still  upon  her  lips. 

In  her  brilliant  evening-dress  and  the  fulness  of 
her  exquisite  beauty,  with  her  white  bosom,  her  mar- 
vellous dark  eyes,  and  glowing  hair,  she  seemed  to 
light  up  the  chamber  as  she  entered  it.  Never  had 
she  looked  so  like  Herodias'  daughter  as  at  that  mo- 
ment, radiant  and  reckless,  with  deadly  elements  in 
conflict  so  near  her. 

"  Why,  Lawrence  !  is  it  you?     You  are  home  ear- 


356  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

ly,".  she  said  lightly  as  she  came  towards  him.  "  I 
have  been  to  •  the  opera  with  Mrs.  Conrad,"  she 
added  with  a  ready  lie. 

He  was  standing  with  his  back  to  her  ;  and,  in  her 
careless  self-absorption,  she  did  not  for  the  moment 
see  what  he  was  doing.  Just  before  she  reached 
him,  he  turned  and  faced  her,  the  papers  in  his  hand. 

Then  she  saw  the  truth.  Fool  as  she  was,  •  she 
recognized  the  meaning  of  that  countenance,  and 
read  the  bloody  purpose  written  in  it. 

"  Lawrence,"  she  shrieked,  "  don't  kill  me  !  " 

And,  falling  on  her  knees  before  him,  all  her  gay 
splendor  vanished  :  she  crouched  and  grovelled  upon 
the  ground  in  abject  animal  terror. 

He  stepped  to  the  door,  and  locked  it  behind  her. 
At  the  action,  the  woman's  heart  and  strength  died 
within  her.  Then  he  came  back,  and  looked  down 
at  her.  With  his  wild  rage  riotous  through  his 
blood,  the  traditions  of  his  whole  race  and  country 
were  still  unconsciously  controlling  him.  Without 
realizing  it,  his  arm  hesitated  to  raise  itself  to  strike 
a  woman,  let  her  sin  and  his  suffering  be  what  they 
might.  Her  agony  of  fear  was  terrible  to  witness  ; 
and  the  man's  keen  perception  showed  him,  even 
then,  that  it  was  nothing  else ;  that  neither  sorrow 
nor  remorse,  nor  even  shame,  mingled  with  it.  She 
dreaded  him,  not  for  the  wrong  she  had  done  him, 
but  for  the  injury  he  could  still  do  her. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  357 

"  Don't  kill  me,  Lawrence  !  "  she  moaned  again. 

"  Do  you  think  I  would  let  such  a  shameful  crea- 
ture live  ?  "  he  answered ;  and  the  low,  fixed  tone  ter- 
rified her  more  than  the  words. 

As  his  sentence,  and  its  inexpressible  loathing 
contempt,  struck  her,  the  woman  suddenly  raised 
her  head,  and  then  sprang  to  her  feet.  She  had 
given  up  all  hope  of  her  life  ;  and  with  despair  came 
its  reckless  courage. 

"  Who  and  what  are  you,  that  you  dare  to  de- 
spise me  ?  "  she  cried  out,  her  words  rushing  from 
her  lips  like  a  flood.  "  You  have  the  strength  to 
murder  me,  and  you  will  do  it ;  but  you  lost  the 
right  long  ago." 

Reginald's  teaching  had  not  been  in  vain ;  and 
she  used  it  with  a  terrible  force,  born  of  her  terri- 
ble necessity. 

"  You  kill  me  for  that  which  you  taught  me  to 
do, — which  you  set  me  the  example  of  doing.  What 
sin  have  I  committed  that  you  had  not  enjoyed, 
and  satiated  yourself  with,  long  before  I  ever  saw 
you  ?  What  law  of  heaven  or  earth  have  I  broken 
which  you  have  not  broken  again  and  again  ?  Man ! 
we  are  on  a  level  at  last ;  we  are  fitting  companions 
for  the  first  time  ;  and  you  ought  to  embrace  me 
now  as  the  proper  wife  of  your  bosom  !  "  And  she 
flung  out  her  beautiful  arms  to  him  in  mad  mock- 


358  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

ery,  while  her  dreadful  laughter  rang  through  the 
room. 

She  had  suddenly  sprung  upon  the  tremendous 
vantage-ground  of  truth,  and  from  it  defied  and 
defeated  him. 

"And  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  brought  unto  him  a 
woman  taken  in  adultery  ;  and,  when  they  had  set  her 
in  the  midst,  they  say  unto  him,  Master,  this  woman 
was  taken  in  adultery,  in  the  very  act.  Now,  Moses,  in 
the  law,  commanded  that  such  should  be  stoned;  but 
what  sayest  thou  ?  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with  his 
finger  wrote  on  the  ground,  'as  though  he  heard  them 
not.  So,  when  they  continued  asking  him,  he  lifted  up 
himself,  and  said  unto  them,  He  that  is  without  sin 
among  you,  let  him  cast  the  first  stone  at  her.  And 
they  which  heard  it,  being  convicted  by  their  own  con- 
sciences, went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest, 
even  unto  the  last." 

The  wretched  woman  had  unconsciously  used 
Christ's  own  argument ;  and  the  miracle  it  worked 
two  thousand  years  ago  it  wrought  again  that  day. 
She  had  literally  taken  the  stone  from  his  hand, 
leaving  him  powerless  and  weaponless. 

The  maddened,  outraged  man  before  her  looked 
at  her  with  savage  purpose  for  a  moment ;  then 
wavered,  looked  again,  and  again  faltered  in  his  res- 
olution ;  and  finally,  without  another  word,  turned 
and  left  the  room. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  359 

His  wife  stood  absolutely  stunned  at  the  effect  of 
her  words  and  her  sudden  deliverance. 

Lawrence  Van  Arsdale  went  straight  back  to  the 
library.  When  he  reached  it,  his  dreadful  purpose 
was  more  clearly  graven  upon  his  face  than  ever. 
Baffled  in  his  vengeance  upon  the  woman  who  had 
wronged  him,  he  turned  to  wreak  its  concentrated 
force  upon  the  man  who  had  wrought  his  shame. 
The  white,  fixed  face,  with  its  deadly  intent,  was 
made  more  horrible  by  its  contrast  with  the  quie- 
tude of  his  movements.  Opening  his  private  secre- 
tary, he  took  out_  a  small  revolver,  and  carefully  load- 
ed it ;  then  he  put  on  his  hat  and  went  out  of  the 
house  with  as  little  demonstration  as  though  his  er- 
rand had  been  of  the  simplest  business-character. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  after,  he  was  ringing  the 
bell  of  Reginald  Archer's  residence. 

"  Is  Mr  Archer  in  ?  "  he  inquired  of  the  servant 
who  answered  his  summons. 

"  No,  sir,"  the  man  replied,  noticing  that  the  gen- 
tleman stood  in  the  shadow,  and  kept  his  hat  slouched 
over  his  face. 

"  When  will  he  be  at  home  ?  " 

"  I  really  can't  say,  sir." 

"  Where  can  he  probably  be  found  ?  "  the  gentle- 

• 

man  persisted. 

"  You  may  find  him  at  the  club,"  said  the  servant, 
suggesting  the  likeliest  place. 


360  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

"  Ah  !  "  retui-ned  Mr.  Vau  Arsdale,  and  went  has- 
tily down  the  steps. 

The  servant  was  right ;  for,  in  one  of  the  smaller 
rooms  of  the  club-house,  Reginald  sat  at  that 
moment  in  his  glory,  surrounded  by  a  number  of  his 
particular  set,  who  were  sure  to  be  collected  there 
when  nothing  more  agreeable  occupied  their  atten- 
tion. He  was  in  such  unusual  spirits,  that  even 
those  accustomed  to  his  brilliancy  looked  at  him  in 
wondering  admiration.  He  was  sitting  with  his 
back  to  the  door,  but  facing  a  great  mirror,  loun- 
ging in  his  arm-chair  with  his  luxurious  grace,  and 
keeping  up  a  strain  of  witty  nonsense  which  drew 
peal  after  peal  of  laughter  from  his  audience. 

It  was  upon  this  scene  that  Lawrence  Van  Ars- 
dale came. 

As  he  entered,  most  of  those  present  caught  sight 
of  him  instantly.  They  were  not  nervous  men ;  but, 
as  they  saw  his  face,  a  dread  struck  to  their  hearts, 
the  forewarning  of  what  they  felt  was  to  come.  Sud- 
den silence  fell  upon  that  company.  Hearing  his 
own  voice  sounding  alone,  Reginald  looked  up  in 
surprise  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  quietude  ;  and  then, 
in  the  mirror  before  him,  he  saw  the  face  and  figure 
advancing  behind  him. 

Lloyd,  who  was  sitting  beside  him,  started  up,  cry- 
ing out  in  terror,  — 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  361 

"  Reginald,  I  knew  he  would  murder  you !  It  has 
come  at  last !  " 

To  do  Reginald  justice,  neither  his  heart  nor  his 
pulse  quickened  their  beat  perceptibly :  he  certainly 
had  not  attempted  a  role  which  he  could  not  fill. 
Rising  calmly,  he  turned  and  stood  before  the  man 
he  had  dishonored,  with  the  same  grand  manner  and 
unshakable  courtesy  with  which  he  would  have  re- 
ceived him  in  his  own  house. 

For  a  second  the  two  faced  each  other,  the  tall 
form  towering  above  the  smaller  one ;  yet  not  a  per- 
son present  doubted  which  was  the  stronger  at  that 
moment.  The  infinitude  of  still  rage,  the  immeasura- 
ble agony  that  set  every  nerve  and  muscle,  above  all, 
the  power  which  could  keep  its  hand  upon  the  throat 
of  both,  and  compel  them  to  bide  his  time,  gave  a 
frightful  force  to  that  slight,  pale  man,  as  he  stood 
there  mute  and  motionless. 

As  for  Reginald,  those  who  saw  him  then  never 
forgot  the  impression.  He  remained  stamped  upon 
their  memories,  like  the  recollection  of  some  wonder- 
ful statue  or  picture ;  some  glorious  work  of  art  seen 
once  in  a  lifetime,  and  longed  for  ever  after. 

"  I  have  come  to  kill  you ! "  Van  Arsdale's  low 
voice  broke  the  stillness. 

"Mr.  Van  Arsdale,"  Reginald  replied,  bowing 
gravely,  "  if  you  think  I  have  done  you  any  wrong,  I 

16 


362  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

am  quite  ready  to  meet  you  at  any  time,  and  give 
you  the  satisfaction  customary  among  gentlemen." 

"  Satisfaction !  "  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale's  voice 
had  not  risen ;  but  there  had  come  such  a  terrible 
thrill  through  it  as  would  have  made  almost  any 
man  alive,  but  the  one  before  him,  shiver  and  quail. 
"Do  you  imagine  I  would  give  you  a  chance  for 
your  life  ?  You  have  robbed  me  of  that  which  was 
infinitely  more  than  my  life ;  and  I  demand  yours  as 
the  slightest  compensation.  No !  I  shoot  you  down 
like  any  other  dangerous  beast ;  and  the  world  ought 
to  thank  me  for  ridding  it  of  you.  As  I  told  you,  I 
have  come  to  kill  you ! " 

While  speaking,  he  had  stood  with  his  hand  appar- 
ently pressed  upon  his  heart ;  but,  as  he  quietly 
took  it  away,  they  saw  that  it  held  a  pistol. 

Reginald  made  a  quick,  violent  movement  to  dash 
up  his  assailant's  arm,  and  catch  the  weapon  from 
his  grasp ;  but  he  was  too  late.  The  sound  of  a 
pistol-shot  rang  through  the  room ;  and  then  Regi- 
nald Archer  threw  up  his  arms  with  a  strange,  gasp- 
ing moan,  staggered,  and  fell  heavily  forward.  A 
cry  of  horror  broke  from  those  around  him  as  they 
sprang  to  catch  him,  and  laid  him  out  upon  the 
floor. 

"  Dead  ?  "  was  the  question  in  their  terror-stricken 
eyes. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  363 

Not  yet;  still  breathing,  but  with  a  bloody  spot 
on  his  left  side,  which  made  those  who  knew  most 
of  such  matters  lose  all  hope. 

"  Run  for  the  nearest  doctor !  quick,  some  of  you  !  " 
exclaimed  the  man  who  soonest  recovered  his  senses ; 
and  more  than  one  sped  away  to  execute  his  order. 

Lloyd  was  trying  to  support  Reginald's  head,  and 
moaning  over  him  in  a  half  broken-hearted  way; 
when  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale  came  quietly  forward, 
and  gazed  steadily  down  upon  the  man  he  had 
shot.  -  His  face  could  have  grown  no  paler ;  but  it 
was  a  shade  calmer,  or  rather  wearier ;  though  this 
was  the  only  change  in  it.  In  their  absorption  in 
the  dying  man,  the  crowd  had,  for  the  moment, 
almost  forgotten  Van  Arsdale ;  but  now  Lloyd  sud- 
denly cried  out,  — 

"  Seize  him !  hold  him  !     Don't  let  him  escape !  " 

The  bystanders  closed  in  around  him;  but  no 
one  touched  him.  They  had  neither  the  wish  nor 
the  power  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  the  man,  who, 
each  knew  in  his  secret  heart,  had  but  executed 
swift  justice. 

An  awful  smile  came  into  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale's 
face. 

"  You  can't  prevent  it,  gentlemen,"  he  said  qui- 
etly. "I  provided  a  sure  way  of  escape  before  I 
came  here." 


304  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

And  lifting  to  his  head  the  revolver,  which  was  still 
in  his  hand,  he  deliberately  blew  out  his  brains ;  fall- 
ing, a  shattered,  bleeding,  senseless  mass,  by  the  side 
of  the  man  to  whom  he  had  just  dealt  a  slower  death. 

Again  that  cry  of  horror  broke  out  from  those  pas- 
sive witnesses ;  and  then  they  stood  gazing  into  each 
other's  eyes,  literally  paralyzed  by  the  situation. 

The  room  and  the  house  were  rapidly  crowding 
with  fresh  comers ;  for  the  rumor  of  Reginald's  con- 
dition had  spread  with  lightning-speed.  Presently 
they  raised  the  dead  body,  and  decently  composed  it 
upon  a  sofa.  Then,  the  doctor  arriving,  they  gave 
their  whole  attention  to  the  scarcely  more  living  form 
upon  the  floor.  The  circle  of  white  faces  bent  breath- 
lessly forward  as  the  physician  knelt  by  the  prostrate 
figure  and  made  his  hasty  examination. 

He  shook  his  head  slowly  and  sadly. 

"  He  is  still  alive  ;  but  that  is  all.  The  wound  is 
mortal.  The  ball  has  gone  too  near  the  heart  for 
any  hope  of  his  life  to  remain,"  he  said  softly,  his 
voice  breaking  the  stillness  which  closed  over  them 
again  when  it  ceased. 

Under  the  application  of  stimulants,  Reginald  grad- 
ually returned  to  consciousness,  and  faintly  perceived 
his  situation  and  surroundings.  His  instinct  of  out- 
ward propriety  ruled  him  even  then ;  and  his  disgust 
at  lying  there  to  be  stared  at  was  his  first  sensation. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  3C5 

Llo}rd  saw  his  lips  move,  and  bent  down  to  listen. 

"  Home  !  "  was  the  word  he  heard. 

Lloyd  looked  up  at  the  physician. 

"  He  wants  to  be  moved  to  his  own  house,"  he 
said.  "  Is  it  possible  to  do  it  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  he  can  bear  it.  He  has  amazing 
physical  strength,"  the  doctor  replied,  and  then  gave 
a  movement  with  his  eyebrows  which  plainly  said 
that  it  made  small  matter  what  they  did,  as  the  end 
was  inevitable. 

Slowly  and  carefully  they  lifted  him  upon  a  lounge, 
and  prepared  to  carry  him  home.  Just  as  they  were 
leaving  the  house,  Lloyd  again  saw  his  lips  stir,  and 
again  leaned  to  listen. 

As  before,  but  a  single  word,  — 

"Tom!" 

"  Yes  !  "  Lloyd  answered  eagerly :  "  I  will  bring 
him !  " 

"  Quickly !  "  the  wounded  man  faintly  articulated. 

Lloyd  openly  hesitated,  to  leave  him  ;  but  Reginald 
lifted  his  eyes  towards  him ;  and,  dim  as  they  now 
were,  they  still  had  power  to  enforce  his  will. 

Knowing  that  he  left  his  friend  in  hands  as  careful 
as  his  own,  the  younger  man  hastened  away  to  obey 
that  which  seemed  a  dying  command. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

TOM  ARCHER'S  home  and  its  inmates  were 
very  quiet  that  night ;  but  there  was  little  sleep 
under  his  roof.  Past  midnight,  and  each  one  had 
gone  to  his  or  her  chamber ;  but  even  the  semblance 
of  repose  ceased  there. 

What  might  come  next,  what  might  be  the  end 
of  all  this,  was  the  dread  weighing  heavily  upon 
each  ;  and  to  each  the  very  air  seemed  thick  and 
dark  with  shadows  of  the  future. 

Tom  paced .  up  and  down  his  floor,  unable  to  be 
still. 

Christie  was  now,  as  always,  his  first  overruling 
thought.  Their  meeting  after  months  of  separa- 
tion, and  her  proximity  at  that  moment,  would  alone 
have  stirred  his  blood  to  uncontrollable  flow  and 
beat;  but,  beyond  this,  his  boundless  indignation 
against  his  brother  fired  his  whole  nature.  Then 
he  thought  also  of  Van  Arsdale.  An  infinite  pity 
for  the  man  would  have  possessed  him,  had  he  not 
felt  an  equally  measureless  amazement  and  contempt 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  367 

for  the  being  who  could  lift  his  face  to  the  light,  and 
passively  allow  such  a  state  of  things  to  continue. 

He  was  thus  walking  and  thus  thinking,  when  a 
carriage  dashed  furiously  up  to  the  house ;  and  there 
came  that  violent,  imperative  ring,  which  startles  us 
under  the  most  ordinary  circumstances  as  the  fore- 
runner of  trouble.  He  was  at  the  entrance  before 
any  servant  could  possibly  reach  it ;  and  the  opening 
of  the  door  brought  him  face  to  face  with  Lloyd's 
aghast  countenance. 

"  Van  Arsdale  has  shot  Reginald !  He  is  dying, 
and  he  is  asking  for  you ! "  Lloyd's  breathless  lips 
managed  to  utter  before  the  other  man  could  unclose 
his. 

Lloyd's  ashen  hue  was  upon  Tom  also  as  he  stood 
speechlessly  looking  at  him.  He  had  unconsciously 
thrown  up  his  arm  in  dumb  protest  against  the  dread- 
ful fact ;  and  it  remained  rigid,  as  the  tide  of  horror, 
grief,  childish  love,  that  seemed  dead  and  buried, 
surged  within  him. 

Then  a  strange,  stilling  change  came  over  his  face, 
and  his  arm  dropped  heavily  to  his  side.  It  was  as 
though,  over  all  natural  feeling  and  passion,  he  had 
solemnly  and  deliberately  said  "Amen !  "  for  he  knew 
in  every  recess  of  his  heart  and  nature,  that,  placed 
in  the  same  terrible  strait,  he  would  have  done  the 
same  terrible  deed. 


368  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

"  Come ! "  said  Lloyd :  "  he  may  not  live  to  see 
you!" 

Tom  steadied  himself  for  a  moment ;  and  then  his 
practical  readiness  came  back  to  him. 

"  Wait  an  instant !  "  he  exclaimed,  and  went  hur- 
riedly up  stairs  towards  Christie's  room. 

He  met  her  rapidly  descending.  She  had  heard 
the  arrival,  and  had  even  caught  the  tone  of  Lloyd's 
voice ;  and  the  expression  of  her  countenance  left 
Tom  little  to  tell. 

He  put  his  hand  firmly  upon  her  shoulder  before 
he  spoke,  though  her  eyes  cried  out,  — 

"  Don't  torture  me !  tell  me  instantly  !  " 

"  Christie,"  he  said,  "  Van  Arsdale  has  shot  him, 
and  he  is  dying !  " 

Except  for  his  grasp,  she  would  probably  have 
fallen,  she  trembled  so  violently,  as  a  low  cry  caine 
from  her  lips ;  but  her  self-restraint  stilled  the  sound 
almost  immediately,  and  held  her  shaking  frame 
steady,  while  she  listened  for  that  which  she  felt 
would  be  his  next  sentence. 

"  I  am  going  to  him,"  he  said. 

"  So  am  I,"  her  lips  formed  almost  voicelessly. 

"  Yes,  I  came  back  for  you ;  but  every  moment  is 
precious."  And,  taking  her  arm,  they  went  hastily 
to  the  door. 

But,  mindful  of  her  comfort  and  safety  even  then, 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  369 

Tom  caught  up  his  travelling-cloak  from  the  hall- 
table,  and  drew,  it  around  her  as  he  put  her  into  the 
carriage. 

Then  the  vehicle,  with  those  three  blanched  faces 
within,  again  drove  furiously  through  the  darkness. 

What  a  change  had  passed  over  that  house  !  and 
how  strangely  unfamiliar  her  home  looked  to  Christie 
as  she  stepped  over  the  threshold  she  had  believed 
she  should  never  again  cross !  The  door  stood  open ; 
the  gas-light  flamed  garishly  out  into  the  night ;  the 
servants  moved  wildly  about,  —  they,  like  the  whole 
establishment,  fallen  to  sudden  disorganization.  The 
hall  seemed  filled  with  men,  who  had  either  followed 
the  cortege  from  the  club,  or  had  hurried  hither  from 
friendship  or  curiosity.  Their  eager,  agitated  talking 
lowered  as  they  saw  Tom  enter  ;  but  it  ceased  en- 
tirely, and  they  fell  back  with  grave,  pitying  defer- 
ence, as  they  caught  sight  of  Christie  behind  him. 
Not  merely  a  wife,  but  a  terribly-wronged  woman ; 
not  only  going  to  her  husband's  death-bed,  but  such 
a  death-bed !  from  such  a  cause  !  No  wonder  they 
made  way  for  her  with  reverence  and  sorrowful  sym- 
pathy. 

Torn  led  her  directly  to  Reginald's  room.  Within 
stood  five  or  six  men  whom  he  knew  to  be  eminent 
surgeons,  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  city.  They 
had  cleared  the  apartment  of  every  one  else,  and  were 

16* 


370  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

bending  over  a  figure  on  the  bed.  At  the  sound  of 
footsteps,  one  of  them  looked  round,  and,  recogniz- 
ing Tom,  came  quickly  out  to  him.  As  he  saw 
Christie,  the  same  curious  alteration  came  upon  him 
which  had  passed  over  those  she  had  met  below ;  and 
he  spoke  very  gently  as  he  answered  the  question  in 
their  dilating  eyes. 

"  He  is  alive.  The  wound  would  have  killed  any 
other  man  outright  ;  but  he  has  such  wonderful 
strength  and  vitality,  that  he  may  linger  for  hours. 
You  can  come  into  the  room ;  but  you  had  better 
keep  behind  him,  as  he  is  evidently  conscious  at 
times,  and  any  agitation  might  be  instantly  fatal." 

They  followed  him  into  the  chamber,  and  silently 
took  the  places  assigned  them. 

Almost  within  reach  of  their  touch  lay  the  stately 
form  which  even  death  seemed  to  struggle  in  vain  to 
conquer.  They  could  watch  the  faint  rising  and  fall- 
ing of  the  broad  breast ;  they  could  see  the  eyelids 
quiver,  and  then  slowly  open ;  and  with  what  emo- 
tion at  their  hearts  they  did  so  ! 

How  far  he  was  sensible  they  could  not  tell ;  for 
he  noticed  nothing  until  Lloyd  came  and  stood  at  the 
foot  of  the  bed.  Then  a  purpose  gathered  in  his 
eyes ;  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  those  around  him, 
he  said  quite  audibly,  — 

"  Where  is  he  ?  " 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  371 

"  Here  ! "  Lloyd  replied ;  and  Tom  stepped  to  the 
bedside. 

The  downward  gaze  met  the  upward  for  a  little 
while  ;  for  the  elder  brother  was  speechless. 

"  Your  words  have  come  true,  Tom,"  the  wounded 
man's  faint  voice  sounded  through  the  still  room ; 
44  yet  I  don't  think  you  are  glad." 

"  Reg,  dear  Reg ! "  Tom  cried  out ;  and  with  a  great 
sob  he  fell  down  upon  his  knees  beside  his  brother, 
his  head  bowing  upon  the  other's  hand  with  passion- 
ate tenderness  and  grief. 

A  moment  after,  the  doctor's  strong  grasp  upon  his 
shoulder  brought  him  back  to  himself  and  the  neces- 
sity of  the  case.  He  rose  hastily,  and  strove  to  regain 
his  self-control. 

The  old,  sweet  smile  came  upon  the  dying  lips ; 
but  Reginald  Archer  was  Reginald  Archer  still,  and 
would  be  himself  until  the  breath  left  histiody.  The 
smile  took  a  careless,  mocking  tinge ;  and  he  said, 
with  a  gay,  defiant  tone,  which  contrasted  horribly 
with  the  weak  voice  it  used,  — 

"  I  am  dying  like  a  dog,  Tom,  but  a  dog  that  has 
had  his  day! " 

The  re-action  of  his  effort  overpowered  him,  and 
he  sank  away  into  exhaustion. 

Thus  he  lay  through  the  long,  dark  hours  of  the 
night,  the  large  blue  eyes  looking  ever  far  away 


372  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

before  him,  —  it  almost  seemed,  into  that  eternity  to 
which  he  was  drawing  so  near.  Who  shall  say  what 
he  saw  in  that  solemn  night-watch  ?  what  thoughts 
of  past  and  future  came  over  him  ?  what  awful  light 
and  knowledge  of  both  fell  upon  him  ? 

No  change  in  the  man  upon  the  bed  ;  no  change  in 
those  who  silently  sat  around  him.  The  night  became 
gray  dawn,  and  the  dawn  broad  day.  The  rising  sun- 
beams streamed  into  that  room,  glorifying  even  it 
with  their  early  splendor ;  and  still  no  alteration  in 
either  watchers  or  watched. 

Suddenly  Reginald  made  a  movement,  turned 
completely  over  with  surprising  strength,  and  looked 
up  at  his  brother  with  his  old  fire  and  vigor,  his 
accustomed  glance  and  expression.  The  physician 
beside  him  rose  hurriedly,  and  lifted  his  hand  in  a 
warning  to  the  others,  which  an  awful  something  in 
Reginald's  *face,  despite  its  apparent  return  to  life, 
made  fearfully  intelligible.  They  gathered  quickly 
about  him,  with  a  contraction  at  their  hearts,  which 
was  sharp  physical  pain.  There  was  no  room  for 
fear  now,  as  there  was  none  for  hope  ;  and,  no  longer 
dreading  to  agitate  him,  Christie  stood  directly  before 
him.  But  he  did  not  seem  to  notice  her :  she  had 
been  little  to  him  at  any  time,  and  now  she  was 
nothing.  His  whole  attention  was  fixed  upon  his 
brother. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  37o 

"  Tom,"  he  said,  speaking  as  distinctly  as  he  had 
ever  done,  "  about  that  unjust  steward :  I  am  not  so 
sure  of  his  wisdom  ;  I  begin  to  doubt ;  I  "  — 

The  voice  broke  and  ceased ;  the  eyes  glazed  ;  a 
shiver  went  over  the  powerful  frame ;  and  that  which, 
but  a  second  before,  had  been  a  living,  speaking  man, 
was  a  corpse. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

T]WO  years  have  passed  since  that  day,  and  the 
world  goes  on  as  smoothly  and  joyfully  as 
though  such  a  tragedy  had  never  darkened  it. 

To  those  who  witnessed  the  bloody  scene,  its  influ- 
ence at  first  pervaded  all  existence ;  but  most  of 
them  became  accustomed  to  the  sensation,  and  gradu- 
ally threw  it  off,  betaking  themselves  with  relief  and 
renewed  vigor  to  their  own  projects  and  pleasures. 
Reginald  Archer  and  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale  soon 
lay  in  almost  forgotten  graves,  awaiting  the  great 
final  judgment  which  must  come  to  all. 

In  Lloyd's  weak  brain  and  shallow  nature  there 
always  remained  a  certain  allegiance  to  his  friend 
and  leader ;  and,  bad  and  feeble  as  he  was,  he  rose 
above  stronger  men  in  that  he  was  capable  of  faith- 
fully loving  and  remembering  the  dead.  Maria,  too, 
still  thought  tenderly  and  sadly  of  the  brother  of  her 
childhood.  But  except  for  these,  and  Christie  and 
Tom,  —  the  wife  he  had  outraged,  and  the  brother  to 
whom  he  had  been  a  life-long  sorrow  and  disgrace,  — 

374 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  375 

Reginald's  name  would  scarcely  find  a  place  in  the 
memories  of  his  fellow-beings. 

People  wearied  of  feeling  and  saying,  "What  a 
shocking  affair  it  was  !  "  and,  after  dwelling  morbidly 
upon  the  subject,  turned  eagerly  from  it.  It  first  hor- 
rified, and  then  bored  them ;  and,  finally,  the  individ- 
ual who  enabled  them  to  speak  of  it  with  ease  and 
comfort,  in  fact,  to  derive  some  amusement  from  it, 
was  secretly  welcomed  as  a  benefactor.  The  moral 
of  his  story,  the  sermon  his  course  preached,  became 
less  oppressive  and  personal  when  its  point  was  re- 
moved and  its  edge  turned  by  a  sarcasm. 

Again  Reginald's  set  was  assembled  at  the  club, 
and  his  name  had  been  casually  mentioned. 

"  He  did  not  run  a  very  edifying  career,,  perhaps  ; 
but  he  certainly  enjoyed  himself  extremely,"  said  one 
of  the  persons  present. 

The  speaker  was  a  quick-witted,  irreproachably 
fine  gentleman,  whose  morals  and  manners  were 
Reginald's  own;  who  had  fawned  upon  him  and 
utilized  him  while  living,  and  who  naturally  gave 
him  a  kick  now  that  he  was  dead. 

"  Somehow,  it  always  seemed  to  me  impossible  for 
that  man  to  die ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  doctor  said  the 
heart  was  touched,  I  knew  the  game  was  up,"  re- 
flectively remarked  another  quondam  acquaintance. 

"  Yes ;  for  it  was  possible  that  a  pistol-ball  should 


376  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

touch  his  heart,  though  we  should  have  found  it  hard 
to  believe  any  thing  else  had  done  so,"  said  the  man 
who  had  first  spoken.  "  There  is,  at  least,  one  satis- 
faction about  this  affair ;  and  that  is,  it  settles  two 
points  about  which  we  must  otherwise  have  remained 
in  doubt.  One  is,  that  Reginald  Archer  had  a  heart ; 
and  the  other,  that  Lawrence  Van  Arsdale  had  a 
brain." 

A  laugh,  at  first  rather  suppressed,  but  gradually 
breaking  out  freety,  rose  from  the  company ;  and  the 
gentleman  was  regarded  gratefully  as  having  exor- 
cised a  ghost  from  among  them,  and  put  a  neat, 
repeatable  witticism  in  its  place. 

Truly  Reginald  Archer  had  neither  lived  nor  died 
in  vain.  jHe  had  furnished  a  Ion-mot  to  one  of  his 
friends,  and  a  laugh  to  the  rest.  He  would  have 
asked  nothing  better  from  them  ;  and  he  gave  all  he 
would  have  desired.  To  the  end,  a  certain  justice 
pervaded  the  man  and  his  career ;  for  he  got  in  this 
instance  just  what  he  would  have  given. 

The  guilty  woman  who  had  cost  him  his  life  went 
to  her  own  place.  '  She  openly  adopted  the  existence 
for  which  she  was  naturally  fitted.  She  chose  a  rich 
lover,  and  lives  in  more  luxury  than  ever  before. 
Her  jewels  are  finer,  her  dresses  more  elegant  and 
becoming ;  and  I  am  bound  to  confess,  that  her  satis- 
faction in  life  seems  to  be  in  equally  increased  pro- 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  377 

portion.  She  lias  lost  her  position  in  one  class  of 
society ;  but  she  has  gained  a  wider  sway,  and  a 
larger,  stronger  influence,  over  another  portion  of  it. 
Her  former  female  friends,  of  course,  ignore  her  ex- 
istence ;  but  she  finds  the  bad  men  and  lost  women, 
to  whose  companjr  she  is  restricted,  quite  as  entertain- 
ing and  congenial  associates.  Above  all,  she  has 
gained  that  freedom  of  action,  that  license  to  gratify 
every  impulse  and  passion  of  her  nature,  which  the 
world  grants  men  at  their  birth,  but  which  a  woman 
can  only  gain  by  breaking  every  social  tie.  No  out- 
ward punishment  has  fallen  upon  Mrs.  Van  Arsdale ; 
and  I  cannot  learn  that  she  is  troubled  by  any  pang 
of  conscience  or  remorse.  Old  age  may  tell  a  sadly 
different  tale ;  but  as  yet  there  is  no  evidence  that 
she  has  found  sin  other  than  a  brilliant  speculation 
both  as  to  pleasure  and  as  to  profit. 

As  soon  as  Reginald  was  buried,  Maria  took  Chris- 
tie away  to  a  quiet  country-house,  far  from  the 
associations,  if  not  the  recollections,  of  the  past. 
There  the  stillness,  the  peace,  the  fair  face  of  Nature, 
seemed  to  hush,  if  not  to  heal,  the  woman's  storm- 
tossed  being.  It  was  scarcely  grief  she  felt ;  for  the 
true,  parting  death-pang  had  come  long  before,  when 
she  discovered  that  the  man  she  adored  had  never 
existed.  But,  apart  from  natural  pity  for  his  dreadful 
end,  the  nervous  shock  had  stunned  her  ;  and  time 
alone  could  wear  away  its  effect. 


378  REGINALD   ARCHER.. 

The  ineffable  calm  of  the  summer-days  lulled  her 
to  a  deeper,  more  needful  rest  than  sleep ;  the  cool, 
fresh  brightness  of  the  early  morning  stilled  the 
bound  of  those  feverish  pulses,  while  it  faintly  woke 
to  renewed  life  the  youth  that  was  in  both  heart  and 
blood.  The  forests  put  on  their  autumn  glory,  and 
the  trees  took  their  radiant,  changeful  tints ;  and  still 
the  two  lingered  in  their  peaceful  retreat,  where  Tom 
did  not  permit  them  to  be  disturbed  even  by  him- 
self. Christie's  natural,  generous  sympathy  in  those 
around  her  began  to  revive  ;  her  interest  in  their 
cares  came  back ;  and  the  burden  of  her  own  sadness 
seemed  lifted  from  her  heart  as  she  took  that  of  others 
upon  it.  She  occupied  herself  again  in  small,  daily 
duties ;  and  the  benefit  was  hourly  visible.  Striving 
to  forget  recent  events,  their  effect  gradually  faded 
away;  and  her  whole  married  life  seemed  falling 
from  her  like  a  garment.  In  many  little  ways  she 
reminded  Maria  of  the  Christie  of  old,  —  the  innocent, 
emotional  child  who  had  originally  come  to  tkeir 
house. 

The  short,  dark  winter-days  brought  them  back  to 
the  city,  and  saw 'Christie  once  more  an  inmate  of 
Tom's  house.  No  thought  that  she  would  ever  leave 
it  crossed  the  mind  of  any  one ;  for  it  was  her  only 
refuge,  and  she  rested  in  it  as  a  weary  bird  in  its 
nest. 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  379 

Those  few  persons  who  gained  access  to  her,  and 
who  had  greatly  wondered  what  change  they  would 
see,  found  a  composed  woman,  whose  lovely  face  still 
wore  its  sweet  smile,  but  whose  countenance  had  a 
strange  capacity  for  breaking  into  sudden  horror  at 
the  least  shock,  even  that  of  a  sharp  sound.  It  is  the 
signet  invariably  stamped  upon  those  who  have  ever 
felt  the  whole  groundwork  of  their  lives  sink  under 
them. 

But  even  this  faded  in  its  intensity  as  the  days  and 
weeks  began  to  bring  with  them  a  certain  re-awaken- 
ing sense  of  happiness,  which  she  felt  with  faint  sur- 
prise, though  without  comprehending  its  cause. 

And  Tom  ? 

It  was  curious  how  early  his  business-engagements 
now  permitted  him  to  leave  his  office ;  how  entirely 
that  press  of  work,  which  had  been  the  alleged  reason 
of  -his  spending  long,  solitary  hours  in  his  counting- 
room,  had  passed  away.  He  was  always  at  the  ser- 
vice of  Christie  and  Maria :  a  clerk  could  invariably 
fulfil  his  duties,  if  he  were  needed  to  walk  or  ride, 
or  attend  them  in  any  way.  All  the  woman-like 
tenderness  and  thoughtfulness  of  the  strong  man 
found  vent  at  last ;  and  the  charm  of  contrast  gave 
exquisite  beauty  to  his  care.  For  him,  no  fairest  sum- 
mer-days had  ever  held  the  glorious  brightness  and 
warmth  that  these  chill,  dark  winter-hours  contained. 


380  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

It  became  evident  in  his  appearance. 

"  Tom,  you  are  growing  young  again,"  his  friends 
would  say  as  they  saw  the  vigor  and  health  that 
were  bounding  through  every  vein,  that  spoke  out 
in  every  glance  and  movement.  And  the  man 
flushed  as  he  thought  in  how  much  deeper  sense 
were  their  words  true  than  they  imagined. 

With  Tom  Archer's  unbending  conscience  went 
his  clear,  practical  sense,  preventing  his  being  either 
sentimental  or  morbid.  At  the  call  of  duty,  he  had 
sacrificed  every  desire  and  passion.  When  to  do  oth- 
erwise would  have  been  sin,  he  had  put  the  woman 
he  loved  utterly  out  of  his  life,  —  as  far  as  possible, 
even,  out  of  his  thoughts.  Now  he  felt  himself  per- 
fectly free  to  take  her  into  the  innermost  recesses 
of  his  being,  if  he  could  woo  her  thither.  Having 
the  opportunity,  he  held  that  he  had  now  also  the 
right,  to  use  every  iota  of  his  strength  of  mind  and 
body  to  make  her  love  him.  He  worked  towards 
this  end  ceaselessly.  He  provided  pleasure  for  her 
every  hour ;  he  made  himself  the  light  and  sunshine 
of  her  existence ;  and,  of  his  own  exquisite  thrill 
of  happiness  in  so  doing,  who  shall  tell,  who  shall 
tell? 

Like  a  flower  gaining  color  and  opening  its  petals 
under  the  sun,  so  Christie  bloomed  into  vitality, 
beauty,  and  joy,  under  the  warm  rays  of  love  ;  but 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  381 

as  yet,  like  the  flower,  she  did  not  recognize  the 
source  of  her  renewed  life.  She  grew  to  lean  upon 
Tom  in  all  things  ;  to  think  of  him  constantly;  to 
watch  for  his  coming,  and  listen  for  his  step :  but 
she  had  cared  so  tenderly  for  him  as  a  brother,  that 
the  change  did  not  immediately  strike  her ;  and  she 
loved  him  as  a  lover,  without  knowing  it. 

He  did  not  disturb  her  delusion.  He  was  very 
cautious  :  he  did  not  dare  to  be  otherwise,  having  so 
much  at  stake. 

"  Shall  I  ever  gain  her  ?  will  she  ever  love  me  as  I 
love  her  ?  "  he  would  think  as  the  beautiful  dark 
eyes  looked  up  at  him,  unconscious  of  the  meaning 
which  he  felt  must  be  visible  in  his  own. 

The  winter  passed,  the  spring  went  by  ;  and  it  was 
summer  before  he  dared  to  reply  to  himself.  Then  a 
change  came  over  Christie.  The  calm  sweetness  of 
her  manner  towards  him  vanished,  and  a  fitful  con- 
straint took  its  place :  there  were  times  when  she 
nervously  avoided  him ;  when  her  eyes  drooped,  and 
the  rich  blood  flushed  to  her  very  brow  at  his  glance, 
even  at  the  sound  of  his  voice. 

And  now  Tom  Archer  resolved  to  put  that  ques- 
tion, which  he  prayed  God  he  might  not  be  madly 
deceiving  himself  in  thinking  had  been  answered 
before  it  was  asked. 

Christie's  business-affairs,  which  Reginald  had  al- 


382  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

lowed  to  go  at  loose  ends  in  the  hands  of  a  careless 
lawyer,  had  naturally  fallen  to  Tom's  care  ;  and  much 
time  and  trouble  they  cost  him.  The  size  of  the 
estate,  and  its  condition,  occasioned  many  consulta- 
tions and  arguments  in  his  office  between  the 
lawyer  and  himself.  At  these  Christie  almost  always 
assisted,  at  least  by  her  presence  ;  for  Tom  would 
take  no  action  without  her  intelligent  assent,  as 
well  as  her  signature  to  authorize  it. 

Thus  it  happened  that  he  and  she  were  alone 
in  that  private  office  one  "stimmer  afternoon.  The 
business-matters  had  been  arranged,  the  lawyer  had 
departed,  and  the  two  were  left  together.  Christie 
was  talking  a  little  nervously  upon  any  and  all  sub- 
jects, as  was  her  habit  now;  for  she  instinctively 
avoided  a  silence  when  no  third  person  was  present. 
They  were  both  standing  by  his  desk ;  and  her  eye 
happened  to  rest  upon  the  engraving  above  it. 

"  What  a  lovely,  sad  face  that  is ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  You  have  never  told  me  whose  it  is,"  she  con- 
tinued ;  "  though,  the  first  time  I  saw  it,  you  said  you 
would  do  so  one  day." 

Tom  looked  quickly  at  her,  with  a  manner  which 
agitated  her  strangely. 

"  Christie,"  he  said  slowly,  after  a  moment,  in 
which  the  man  steadied  himself  for  the  great  final 
effort  of  his  life,  "  when  others  have  asked  me  that 


REGINALD  ARCHER.  383 

question,  I  have  always  said  it  was  the  Madonna.  I  tell 
you  that  it  is  the  woman  I  love,  I  reverence,  I  adore." 
And  the  low,  concentrated  voice  sank  to  a  whisper. 

Pain,  doubt,  and  amazement  flashed  up  in  the  great 
dark  eyes,  which  shone  from  the  pale  face  turned 
towards  him. 

"  Christie  !  "  he  cried,  coming  close  to  her,  with  all 
his  long-hoarded  love  and  passion  breaking  beyond 
his  control,  "  don't  you  see  the  likeness  ?  My  dar- 
ling, my  darling !  don't  you  see  that  it  is  yourself?  " 

The  beautiful  eyes  faltered  and  drooped ;  the  splen- 
did color  rushed  over  her  face ;  the  sweet,  smiling  lips 
quivered ;  and  her  head  would  have  sunk  upon  her 
hands,  but  that  it  rested  elsewhere.  For  at  last  — 
ah  !  at  last  —  Tom  Archer  held  in  his  strong  arms,  and 
close  to  his  throbbing  heart,  the  woman  he  had  loved 
so  passionately,  so  purely,  so  faithfully,  and  so  long. 

"  Tom,"  she  whispered  softly,  when  his  kisses 
upon  lips  and  cheeks  and  hands  at  last  allowed  her 
to  speak,  still  almost  incredulous  of  her  own  happj- 
ness,  "  is  it  really  so  ?  " 

"  My  darling,  it  has  always  been  so." 

And  then  he  told  her  the  story  of  his  love  and 
pain  and  longing,  from  the  moment  he  had  first  wel- 
comed her  to  his  home  until  this  hour  which  com- 
pensated for  all. 

Tom  had  waited  so  long  for  the  prize  of  his  life, 


384  REGINALD  ARCHER. 

that  she  could  not  ask  him  to  wait  longer.  So  one 
of  those  beautiful  summer  mornings  witnessed  a  very 
quiet  bridal ;  saw  them  go  away  to  ramble  in  green 
fields,  to  roam  over  pleasant  hills,  there  to  forget 
the  world,  and  to  share,  after  their  weary  trial,  the 
peace  and  joy  of  a  perfect  love. 

Since  then,  their  existence  has  been  the  pure  home- 
life  for  which  God  and  Nature  intended  good  women ; 
for  the  great  world  has  small  attraction  for  these  two, 
who  have  tasted  its  sweet,  and  known  its  bitter. 
Maria  and  Arnold  still  occupy  their  loved  and  hon- 
ored places  in  Tom's  household ;  and  it  would  not 
be  easy  to  discover  two  persons  more  genuinely 
happy  than  they. 

In  the  words  of  the  nursery-rhymes  with  which 
this  story  begins,  Maria  still  "  stays  at  home."  The 
holy  fireside  element  being  like  "  the  kingdom  of  God 
within "  her,  its  blessing  must  rest  wherever  she 
abides  ;  and  she  remains  in  these  later,  as  in  earlier 
days,  the  good  angel  of  Tom's  home.  Essential 
to  those  she  loves,  could  such  a  woman  ask  any  thing 
further  in  life  ? 

Arnold  is  still  "  the  little  pig  that  got  none,"  — 
none  of  the  bread  and  butter  of  material  success. 
Yet  what  can  a  man  gain  from  earth  or  heaven  be- 
yond perfect  peace  and  happiness  ?  To  his  unselfish 
heart  it  is  sufficient  joy  to  watch  hour  by  hour  the 
bliss  of  the  being  he  loves  far  better  than  himself. 


REGINALD   ARCHER.  385 

Tho  honeymoon  had  long  passed,  when  Tom  came 
home  early  one  evening,  as  was  still  his  wont,  to  find 
his  wife  dressing  for  dinner.  He  leaned  against  the 
mirror  before  which  she  stood,  and  watched  her  put- 
ting the  finishing  touches  to  her  toilet.  The  inno- 
cent, loving  eyes  that  looked  at  him  were  so  childlike, 
that  they  brought  a  smile  of  tender  amusement  into 
his  own. 

"  Christie,  do  you  know  how  absurdly  young  you 
are  growing  ?  "  he  asked  with  a  laugh  as  he  kissed 
the  sweet  mouth. 

His  real  thought  had  been,  that  she  had  already 
entered  that  kingdom  of  heaven,  whose  inhabitants 
must  become  as  little  children,  and  remain  so  for- 
ever. 

She  echoed  his  laugh  softly,  taking  his  words  in 
their  lightest  sense. 

"  Still  young  enough  to  like  pretty  things,"  she 
answered  gayly  as  she  took  out  the  bright  cross  Tom 
had  given  her  so  long  before,  and  fastened  it  upon 
her  bosom. 

"  And  there  has  not  been  a  moment  in  my  darling's 
life  when  she  could  not  have  worn  my  talisman,"  he 
said  gently  and  slowly  as  he  touched  the  jewels. 

"  Christie,"  he  exclaimed  a  little  wistfully  a  mo- 
ment after,  his  searching  gaze  going  down  into  the 
pure  depths  of  the  eyes  that  had  no  shadow  of 

17 


386  REGINALD   ARCHER. 

thought  or  memory  to  conceal,  "  are  you  really 
happy?" 

For  his  answer,  such  a  radiance,  such  an  adoring 
love,  shone  in  her  face,  that  words  seemed  useless. 
But  she  spoke  them,  nevertheless,  clinging  close  to 
his  breast,  her  voice  thrilling  with  its  passionate  in- 
tensity. 

"  Tom,"  she  said,  "  I  used  to  spend  my  life  wish- 
ing to  die ;  to  go  away  to  some  region  where  I  could 
be  good  and  happy ;  to  attain  the  rest  and  joy  of 
heaven.  But  Tom,  darling  Tom !  that  is  all  passed 
now ;  for  I  feel  as  though  heaven  had  truly  come 
down  to  me." 

A* 


PBBSS  OF  BAND,  AVBET,  &  FETE,  COENHILI,,  BOSTOIT. 


